So for about 3 months, I've felt a small lump under my left nipple, the size of a dime to a nickle... the 1st month I thought it was an ingrown pimple and it went away, but it came back the next month (around ovulation time) and left, and came back this month again but its getting smaller. I mentioned it to my Dr. and she wasn't too concerned about it or didn't give it much importance, but it's still there, so I'm a bit concerned. Has anyone had a little lump that ended up being nothing? What could it be?
Ashley - well it could be a cyst, but i really think you should check with another doctor just to be sure, We dont want it to be very serious,
ReplyDeleteManish - There are different types of lumps that can occur in the breast. Noncancerous lumps can be cysts, fibroadenomas or pseudolumps. Then of course there are cancerous tumors. We don't know the cause of noncancerous lumps, though we do know they are somehow related to hormonal variations. A cyst is a fluid-filled sac, very much like a large blister, that grows in the breast tissue. Cysts are more common in women approaching menopause than in young women your age. Cysts do not go away unless they are aspirated. It is a simple procedure in which the doctor uses a needle about the size used to draw blood. The needle on a syringe is inserted into the cyst and draws out the fluid. The cyst collapses and usually does not fill up again, although some women have recurrences of cysts. The soreness goes away after aspiration. If an ultrasound shows that a lump is definitely a cyst, it is not necessary to have the cyst aspirated. If a cyst causes discomfort, aspiration can also relieve the discomfort. There are no risks associated with a needle aspiration.
ReplyDeleteFibroadenoma is more common for your age group. This nonmalignant lump feels smooth and hard like a marble. It moves around easily within the breast tissue. Fibroadenomas are non-malignant (benign or non-cancer) solid tumors made up of fibrous or glandular tissues. If a woman has a fibroadenoma, it is movable, painless, smooth, round, and hard like a marble. They are most frequent between ages 20-40. They occur two times more often in African American women than in white women. They can be multiple and affect both breasts but usually a woman has only one fibroadenoma. A fibroadenoma is easily seen with a mammogram. It is treated by excision or left alone if it is accurately diagnosed as a fibroadenoma. Fibroadenomas are harmless and do not have to be removed. They do not turn into cancer. Only fibroadenomas that are very large, called giant fibroadenomas, can change to cancer at the center of the lump. This rare type of cancer grows slow and does not spread to other areas of the body. You are not at risk for breast cancer because you have had a fibroadenoma.
Pseudolumps are usually just exaggerated lumpiness. In all cases of finding a lump, the best thing to do is to have it checked out by a physician. Continue to do breast self exam every month, one week after your period starts, so that you can detect any changes in your breast tissue.
How does one know when to have a lump in the breast checked out, especially when the breast is always "lumpy"?
If you have felt a lump in your breast or a change in the lumpiness of your breasts, the first thing to do is to go to your doctor. If your doctor isn't sure, you may be sent to a breast surgeon or breast specialist. Depending upon your age, the doctor will do a mammogram for additional information. If the mammogram shows evidence of a real lump, a biopsy may be done to find out what it is.
Lumpiness is not the same as having a dominant lump. Lumpiness can be normal breast tissue. If you do breast self exams on a monthly basis, I think you will be able to tell when a dominant lump occurs verses the normal lumpiness. You will know when something is different. If you are not sure, then by all means, go to the doctor.
Susie Q - When it comes back near ovulation time its a cyst.
ReplyDeleteIts not breast cancer.
ChemoAngel - This is all related to your hormones. If the doctor wasn't concerned about it, neither should you.
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