Breast lumps...?

Question

I am so scared. I am 23, and I have 2-4 breast lumps. I had an ultrasound today (no mammogram because I'm under 30.) I know my odds are likely that they are not cancerous. However, my father's mother had breast cancer. Will I still have to have surgery to remove these? I don't get a diagnosis until Thursday.

They do ultrasounds, because a young woman's breast tissue is more dense, and all the tissue as well as lumps would be white on a mammogram.

Answer 1

You are very correct that mammography is not accurate in young women who have dense breasts. Ultrasound is the appropriate exam in your case.

I would be more concerned if I had just one breast lump. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer have just one lump, not multiple lumps. If the ultrasound clearly shows these lumps to be simple cysts (most likely they are), there should be no further work up. Simple cysts are always benign (not cancer) and they never become cancer. Why remove something which is not going to adversely affect your health? Or, like my radiologist says, how do you make a well patient better?

It is possible that you might need a biopsy, if these lumps are not clear cut, classic cases of a cyst or fibroadenoma or whatever. If a radiologist cannot be very certain what type of mass is present, a biopsy is indicated. Insist on an core biopsy. They can do these with ultrasound guidance. An open biopsy is when you go into surgery and they remove the whole lump. Disadvantages include cost and recovery time. The scar from an open biopsy is also an issue. It is not pleasing to the eye, but, more importantly, it can mess up future mammograms. It can be hard to tell scar tissue from a cancer on mammograms. A ultrasound guided core biopsy is more accurate than an open biopsy. You can see the needle enter the suspicious mass on the ultrasound television screen. The tissue samples are small, but very accurate due to the imaging guidance. When a surgeon goes in to the breast blind, you have no proof that the correct tissue was removed. You also have a large sample....in fact, so large that the pathologist cannot sample all the tissue.

A family history of breast cancer is said to raise your risks of breast cancer. But, by far, the majority of breast cancers have nothing to do with heredity. A mother and daughter might both be diagnosed with breast cancer, but usually it is coincidental and unrelated to the breast cancer gene. Your history is a paternal family history....even less likely that you have the gene. I have been in the field of mammography for over 15 years, and I have yet to see a woman of your age diagnosed with breast cancer. Best wishes and remember to breath!

For more information on ultrasound guided core biopsies of the breast, go here:

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=breastbius&bhcp=1

http://www.cpmc.org/learning/documents/bhc-corebreast-ws.html

Answer 2

Firstly, try and calm down. The first time I had this problem I freaked out because it took so long, and ended up getting depressed. Your odds are good that it isn't something bad. If it is then it's good that they found it, so it can be treated. Most of the time it's just a cyst or fibroid. If they are painful I would suggest removing it. I've had two removed and it was no big deal. It took 10 minutes. So just try and not think about it. You'll have lots of tests over your adult lifetime. Thursday isn't so long away. Once they clear you, make sure you do your self exams so you know what to look for. I use to hang a reminder in the shower.

I wish the best for you.

Answer 3

I went to the dr, once & thot it was something & the gyn laughed at me. needless to say i didnt go back to him! i've got several lumps but as long as they move & sometimes a little pain IS a good sign, when you got an x-ray, did they have like a model, rubber breast that showed the difference?

I learned by this.( above) & panicking. i do have breast cancer in my family too. & my father has had cancer 4 times.

some lumps are related to caffeine intake,, if your breast are hard-back off the caffeiene,,,it's not good for you anyway.

Good luck w/your results, & if it is just lumps non begnine,they wont take them out,,they wont hurt anything, & vitamin E helps w/it ..........

Answer 4

Not if its just Cyst !! those can be drained !! and it don't even hurt ! you don't have to be asleep or anything !! they just numb the area and drain out the fluid !! that is if you want them drained , it depends how big they are and if they are sore to you ?? If they hurt you?? Seems to me they can still do a mamo even if your under the age because if they need to rule out cancer and if that is what it takes then why wouldn't they do a mamo?? never heard of that one yet?? don't worry hopefully you just got those CYST !!

Answer 5

swetiew go 2 the doctor..get a checkup

Answer 6

sorry can't tell without a close inspection.