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25yrs of age and AT RISK

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Breast Cancer
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Posted 3/8/2006 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
I am 25 years old.  I recently gone to my physician for my annual pap.  She performed the usual breast exam and discovered a cyst.  She told me that my breasts were from fiberous, if you will, bumpy i guess.  She told me to watch that bump and see if there were any changes.  Now I'm in limbo, I feel it, but do i worry?  I am 25, I know no doctor in there right mind would give me a mammogram, but what are my next steps?  My grandmother on my fathers side had breast cancer so how much am I at risk? 

Anyone will any answers as to what I should do or expect would be greatly appreciated@!!

sarahd173

Posted 3/10/2006 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sarah,

I too (and so do all the women on my mom's side of the family) have fibrocystic breasts, so I feel your pain in never knowing what's what.  As for risk factor--keep in mind that I am not a doctor or genetics counselor--but a lot depends on the age of your grandmother when she was diagnosed and if there have been any other cancers (specifically ovarian and breast) in the family?  I recently went to a genetics counselor to see about getting BRCA tested and was told that based off of family history (all on my mom's side--grandmother diagnosed w/lymphoma at 45'ish, passed at 50; grandfather diagnosed w/colon cancer at 67'ish, passed at 71; and aunt diagnosed w/breast cancer at 35, beat it) my risk of getting cancer is the same as the general population.  So hopefully that helps put your mind at ease.

Now, having said that I think that if you are concerned about the lump in your breast you should push for an u/s and/or biopsy.  You are right in that it will be tough to get a mammogram at your age because the tissue is so dense it's hard to read.  I finally (at the age of 29 3/4) had my first mammogram, which was a digital mammo, after much head banging.  While I know it's not as good as u/s, it's at least useful to a degree, plus they don't do screening breast u/s's where I am.  Since you have a lump you should have no problems getting in to have it looked at. 

Good luck and let us know what happens!

~Laura~ 

Posted 3/16/2006 12:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sarah -

I would push to have additional tests performed. I was 29 when I felt a lump (I also have fibrocystic breasts). Fortunately, I had doctors that did not dismiss the problem, so at age 29, a biopsy revealed cancer, and I had a mastectomy. The cancer had spread to a small number of my lymph nodes, so I had to go on chemo. Even though it was pretty tramatic at the time, I'm still around 24 years later to talk about it. After I was diagnosed, several other family members also decided to go in and we discovered that breast cancer ran in the family, but no one had been talking about it.

D
Posted 3/16/2006 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
It definitely is not something you want to dismiss. My question is why did the doctor not try to aspirate the cyst? When I found my first lump nearly forty years ago at the age of 28, the first thing the dr did was take a needle and try to get fluid out of the cyst. When he was not able to get fluid I was sent to the hospital for a biopsy or lumpectomy as it is called sometimes. It was benign and I gave no thought or worry about my breasts for another twenty years when I had my first mammogram. Cysts are filled with fluid, so if it is a cyst a test could easily determine that. Find out for sure. Hugs MK
Posted 3/16/2006 8:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sarah

I, too, am new to this world of lumps and worries and have been pushing for my doctors to do something further when they just wanted to wait and see. Both my ultrasound and mammogram didn't show anything (I am 33 with dense breast tissue). I just had a biopsy done yesterday and am awaiting the results.

I would agree that additional tests be performed. U/S and biopsy.

My question is this: How did the doctor know it was just a cyst by feeling it? I don't know, maybe they feel different from anything else.

Don't wait, the worry is not worth it.

Good luck to you.
Simone
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