Long Time Large Lump

[amm515]

I have had a lump in my right breast for over three years which has grown steadily.  It is now quite large and is visible to the naked eye.  I often feel pressure in that area, particularly when not wearing a bra.  Also, it is sometimes painful.

I am 34 with no family history of breast cancer, eat well, and exercise reguarly.  I have avoided screening because I have severe anxiety disorder and can not handle bad news.  Is there any way this could be benign?  Can this be discovered by mammogram/ultra sound or will surgery be necessary?

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear amm515,  Breast lumps can be many things, including cancer.
This is why further evaluation by a physician would be recommended. Physical examination, mammogram and ultrasound can give information that may increase or decrease suspicion of cancer and sometimes a biopsy (obtaining a sample of tissue)is necessary.  For many people, not knowing what the problem is can cause more anxiety than making a diagnosis and developing a plan to take care of the problem.

[amm515]

Thanks for your response.  I have a mammogram and ultrasound.  I apparently have fibrocystic disease.  However, the doctor thinks the lump I was concerned about is maily fluid but has a solid nodule in the center which she thinks is a papilloma, so she scheduled a needle biopsy.  She said these types of lumps may need to come out even if they're benign.  Why?  Also, while I've never had nipple discharge, when I had the mammogram some fluid came out (it was yellowish brown).  Is this a cause for concern that the papilloma may actually be cancerous?  The lump is no longer visible to the naked eye, so is it possible that the compression somehow ruptured the cyst?

[surgeon]

There are several possible non-cancer diagnoses: including cyst and fibroadenoma (a harmless tumor). The first step is to have a physical exam. Before having mammogram or ultrasound, the simplest thing is to poke a small needle into it: if it's a cyst, fluid will come out and the lump will be gone. If it's not, then a sample can be obtained with the same needle. Mammogram and ultrasound are more useful in finding things you can't feel; when there's a lumpl, there it is. And it MUST be diagnosed. So see your doctor.