how can she deffinately tell..
and ...can u get breast cancer at any age?
2007-05-26 11:05:30 · 12 answers · asked by Dee 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
Hi! I'm a Cytotechnologist, the laboratory specialist that looks for cancer in tissue.
Breast cancer in various forms can present at any age and in both males and females.
The only way to diagnose breast cancer is for her physician to do a biopsy of the mass in her breast. It can be done in an outpatient setting and she can go home right afterward with very little discomfort.
The procedure (called a Fine Needle Aspirate, or FNA) is usually done using a very fine needle (like the one they use to give shots, only longer) or a core needle (diameter of pencil lead). They remove a small amount of the tissue and send it to the Cytology or Pathology lab where it is prepared and the tissue examined by a Cytotechnologist and Pathologist (doctor that specializes in diagnosing disease from tissue).
The results will come back within 1 to 5 days and then your friend will know for sure what needs to come next.
If she just "thinks" she has cancer, and hasn't had an exam by her doctor yet, she needs to go see him/her first. There are a lot of benign things (breast cysts, fibroadenoma, etc.) that can feel like a bump or cause symptoms that aren't cancer. Her doctor will be able to perform simple tests, including a breast exam and mammogram to determine if the lump is suspicious enough to biopsy.
2007-05-26 12:02:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Usually the only way to find out if a mass or lump is cancerous is a biopsy and yes you can get breast cancer at any age and regardless of gender as well. Although breast cancer is less prevalent in men. This is also rare getting breast cancer before the age of ten.
2007-05-26 18:16:52 · answer #2 · answered by Jeffrey W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes you can get breast cancer at any age. What makes her think she has breast cancer? If she found a lump she needs to have a doctor check this out. You asking the age thing tells me that your friend might be very young. She could be drinking to many sodas, caffeine is very bad for your breast, not good for your body period!!!!! Best thing you can do for her is to talk her into seeing a doctor. Don't put it off, as it will be allot better to find it early.
14 years breast cancer survivor.
2007-05-26 23:20:11 · answer #3 · answered by Diane T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know how old your friend is or why she thinks she has breast cancer - but whatever those answers are - she should immediately go to her OB-GYN doctor and he/she will order a mammogram. That is the only way to tell, and if they find something suspicious, they may do a needle biopsy to be sure. Yes, you can get it at any age - and believe it or not, men can get breast cancer too!
2007-05-26 18:19:32 · answer #4 · answered by palemalefriend 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It don't matter what age your friend is breast cancer occurs in all ages so have her see a doctor rite way and don't let her take no for an answer okay and good luck with the checkup and that it is just a benign lump or what it is at all okay
2007-05-26 18:17:38 · answer #5 · answered by gertie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can get breast cancer at any age. She should go see a doctor, just to be sure.
2007-05-26 18:56:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to a female oncologist and have the necessary tests that will either confirm her suspicion or have negative results. Breast cancer spreads quite rapidly because there is a rich network of lymph glands in breasts, and the surrounding tissue. If she is economically compromised, she can go to a public health clinic, or just tell the doc. her situation, and that she will pay the costs as she can.
2007-05-26 18:15:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can get it at any age, especially if it runs in her family. The only way she can truly tell is by getting either an MRI or a mammography. If she feels a lump or lumps in her breast(s), she needs to see a doctor immediately. Breast cancer is treatable with great success when it is caught early on.
2007-05-26 18:10:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
why does she think that? if she noted something on her breast, she needs to see the doctor. Cancer can occur at any age, but not everything found in the breast is cancer, in fact, cancer is the less common thing found in the breast. so, make sure she visits her doctor.
2007-05-26 18:10:21 · answer #9 · answered by jacostamd 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
She would have to get a mammogram, then a biopsy. She will have to see a doc to tell for sure. It could be fibroids
2007-05-26 23:55:56 · answer #10 · answered by mssandrar03 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋