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>>>Dr. Margileth: One of the most occurrences in young women is a history of lumps of the
breast. Most women have some evidence of what is called fibrocystic change, that is their
*** are said to feel lumpy or bumpy. For the most part, this is absolutely normal and
many women find that that lumpiness fluctuates during their cycle. Many times benign cyst
of the breast can actually be painful, for instance with the cycle or with caffeine.
However, when a young woman has a dominant breast lump or a lump that sits out from the
other lumps in her breast, so to speak, one should be sure that ultimately, some kind
of diagnosis is made.
Young women often have very dense breast making mammogram difficult or sometimes useless.
In that case, ultrasound can be helpful and if there is what is called the dominant lump,
it is quite easy for the mammography department to do a core biopsy of that lump. The worse
thing that we see is a young woman who comes in with invasive breast cancer, who says “I
have had this lump for a year and they told me it was nothing because I was 32 years old”.
So if a lump persist and stands out from the other lumpiness of the breast, so to speak,
one should always come to some diagnosis of what that is irrespective of the findings
on the mammogram and the ultrasound.
In general, an outpatient core biopsy would be the most definitive way to decide whether
this is something that needs followup or not. Many of these turn out be fibroadenomas, which
are totally benign and have no implication for increased risk of breast cancer in the
future. Sometimes one gets a typical lesions, which may need to be resected and which may
have some implication for future breast cancer.
The other issue in such a patient is to always take a family history and if one finds cases
of breast cancer in the family especially in younger women or multiple cases or bilateral
breast cancer or any ovarian cancer or breast cancer in males, one should consider gene
testing by seeing a certified genetics counselor to look at the pros and cons and indications
for such testing.
*****
Hi, I am Dr. Jay Harness and I want to share with you an important information that I believe
that every newly diagnosed patient with breast cancer needs to know.
Susan Denver: “I am a breast cancer survivor.”
Katherine Stockton: “I am a breast cancer survivor.”
Coree: “I am a breast cancer survivor…”
Susan Denver: “…and I want every woman to know…”
Katherine Stockton: “…about personalized breast cancer treatment…”
Susan Denver: “…and the Genomic Test.”
Coree: “A test that helps guide a woman and her doctor…”
Katherine Stockton: “…to the best treatment options for her.”
Susan Denver: “Pass it on!”