Something on mamogram looked like a smashed spider?!

Something on mamogram looked like a smashed spider?

Just found out my sister in law had a mamogram and they saw something that looked like a smashed spider. They rushed her for a biopsy but don't know the results yet. What do you think? Anyone ever heard of this?

2 weeks ago
No rude or smart mouth answers- this is serious!!

Mammography images the breast on various types of film or by using computer-attached CCD's (sensors). The exam is performed with the breast "compressed" as much as the patient will tolerate. The images are 2 dimensional images of a 3 dimensional object.

Breast masses have many different appearances which vary due to:

1. The size of the lesion.
2. The location in the breast (periphery, central, retroareolar (behind the nipple), or in the Tail of Spence (this is breast tissue which extends from the outer upper part of the breast toward the axilla or arm pit).
3. Its histologic type (benign, inflammatory or malignant).
4. Its physical characteristics (solid or cystic structure).
5. The presence or absence of calcification.
6. The presence or absence of fibrocystic changes which make it very difficult to evaluate for tumors or malignancy.

There are a number of histologic or tissue-types of breast cancer which I will not go into due to the complexity of the subject.

To generalize quite a bit, breast cancer can appear as a solid tumor or as a cyst. If the structure is solid a tissue biopsy is obtained; if it is cystic, the fluid is aspirated and microscopically examined.

Solid malignant tumors of the breast (i.e., cancer) tend to appear spiculated. That is, the have a central area with lines or arms radiating out from the center and varying degrees of clustered calcification. Your sister-in-law was told she has a lesion which looks "like a smashed spider." [sic] This would somewhat describe what a spiculated lesion looks like.

This does not mean she has breast cancer. The diagnosis of breast cancer is 100% predicated on the biopsy results! But if she has a spiculated lesion the physician(s) would be worried and want to obtain a biopsy ASAP.

Don't jump to any conclusions based on the above. I hope it turns out to be non-malignant. The important thing is that she stay in contact with her physician(s) until a definitive diagnosis is made.

I hope this was helpful and answered your questions.

DrEarp