What should I do if I find a lump or change in my breast?
It's normal for breasts to have some lumps, or for one to be
slightly larger or lower than the other. Ideally you'll want to get to
know every idiosyncratic lump and bump in your breasts, so you
can recognize anything unusual. Suspicious lumps may be
particularly hard to distinguish if your breasts contain fibroids or
cysts, usually harmless masses that occur more frequently as you
age. Searching for irregularities can be scary and frustrating,
especially since doctors strongly recommend that you have
anything suspicious checked out.
Make an appointment with your doctor if you do come across
something that seems atypical. If what you've noticed is indeed
suspect, he or she will probably advise that you have a biopsy .
This involves taking a small sample of tissue from the mass for
closer analysis. But even so, it won't be time to worry; 80 percent
of breast lumps that are biopsied turn out to be harmless.
The American Cancer Society recommends that most women
should have a baseline mammogram between the ages of 35 and
40 and then have annual mammography after the age of 40. In
addition to an annual mammography, women at high risk for breast
cancer should also get magnetic resonance imaging. Women who
are high risk include those with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation
or a first-degree relative with such a mutation, women who have
had radiation chest therapy between the ages of 10 and 30, or
women with a genetic disease such as Cowden syndrome or Li-
Fraumeni syndrome.
-- Ann Lane is a San Francisco-based freelance writer. |
