I had a 3D mammogram. My insurance only paid for the standard mammogram, but I paid the extra cost of the 3D. I have dense breasts, and the 3D mammogram did show an abnormality in my left breast. I was sent for an ultrasound which led to a biopsy of and subsequent diagnosis of Stage 1A ductal carcinoma. It’s sad that so many insurance companies only pay for the minimum. The $100 I paid out of pocket for the 3D could very well have saved my life.

I learned the hard way that mammo + US is no where near as good as just a MRI. I was (incorrectly) told for years that mammo + US is good for dense breasts but it completely missed my cancer. Was found on MRI,

I hear all of you… my story is sooo long and it’s like parts of all of what you ladies have said.. bottom line .. if I make it through this outing with cancer .. I’ll be going straight to the MRI machine because nothing else works for me..I just HATE what cancer does to our lives..Blessings to all..😘

Thanks all for your input - it is amazing to hear your stories. I have been a proponent for mammography forever as I am in breast imaging practice management and education. The failure to find my cancer has impelled me to work to individualize screening according to type of tissue and risk profile - mammography is not the panacea for all women. Lesson learned the hard way:-( Your stories tell it like it is - hit and miss.
I am now an advocate for those with dense breasts. A dear colleague is Nancy Cappello, pHd., http://www.areyoudenseadvocacy.org has helped pass dense breast notification legislation in 15 states.
I am currently attending the American Roentgen Ray Society breast imaging track in San Diego finding like minded breast imagers to help advance this paradigm change -
Although I still have mammograms - it is the accepted pathway to other imaging - I am combining that with whole breast ultrasound and Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography. I travel for both. I do not choose MRI for my hi-risk screenings - too many false positives - led to my loosing too much healthy tissue in surgery. But better than a false negative and has served some of you well per your responses.
On the use and value of BSE - Stats show it does not find cancers at their earliest stages but along with a good clinical breast exam has always optimized early detection - especially important since there is no perfect imaging strategy. US has missed some of your cancers and MRI has found some. Thus it is important to be aware - to know your breasts - if I had not noticed my small changed my cancer would have been found much later.

Same here. Had mammogram in December 2022 and felt lump in July 2023 and confirmed by ultrasound August 2023. Invasive ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma post surgery path report.