Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 7/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: i am 19yrs old.i feel my breasts are very hard since childhood but i never went to a doc.i also found a small lump.i went to the doctor recently and was advised a mammogram.the report says film markers are in axillary portions of both breats.bilateral dense breasts due to glandular parenchyma which limits optical mammographic visualisation.breasts are dense due to fibroglandular tissues.small focal lesions can be obscured due to density of breasts.there is a smooth well defined mildly dense rounded mass in superolateral quadrant of left breast.it is hypoechoic and shows smooth margin.size:1.4cm*0.8cm.right breast parenchyma is normal.there is no evidence of focal spiculated mass lesion,retraction of tissues or clusters of microcalcification seen to suggest malignancy.both axillae are normal.most probably it is a benign lesion such as fibroadenoma.what does this suggest please help me..

ANSWER: At your age the risk of any breast cancer is VERY small! At your age it is also normal to have dense breasts that are hard to examine with mammography. You can have ultrasound breast scans done to clarify what has been seen in your left breast but most probably it is just a fibroadenoma which is not dangerous. To clarify that further you can have that lesion - if seen by ultrasound - checked further by demanding a ultrasound guided needle biopsy of your lesion there.Then we will KNOW what it is! Your right breast is normal for your age. So is your left one apart from that most probably benign lesion.


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QUESTION: there is no breast cancer history in my family.i have been given a capsule Eposoft for 3 months.is this the apt medicine?will a surgery be required in the future for the removal of lump?does this increase the chance of my having breast cancer in the future?is it normal for the breasts to feel hard since chilhood as in my case..

Answer
I'm not familiar with that medication. The name is a brand name which may be different in different countries. You are in India, I'm in Sweden. If it exists here it is by another name. No if it is what I think it is no surgery is necessary. It does not increase your risk of having breast cancer but your fibrocystic breast condition may make it harder to find a breast cancer. Therefore in the future all your mammographies should be complemented with ultrasound AND MRI breast scans. And if anything unclear is seen at least needle biopsies should be done. For some women it is normal to have this kind of hard breasts. I suppose that they are also painful around the time you have menstruation? At least that is common in such cases.