Archived Case 24

This mass is round and circumscribed on spot compression magnification views. It is solid (since it was not seen on ultrasound, we know it is not a cyst). This is a baseline mammogram, so there are no comparisons. This is the classic probably benign mass.

What if the patient had prior mammograms? Then the stability of the mass would be known:

• he mass is stable: therefore BI-RADS 2, Benign
• the mass is new: therefore BI-RADS 4, Suspicious
• the mass was present but is now bigger: BI-RADS 4, Suspicious

  Thus, ‘Probably Benign’ only applies when there are no comparisons. The purpose of ‘Probably Benign’ is to get an idea of the finding’s stability. A short-interval follow-up in 6 months is performed to establish stability.