Breast Lumps and Breast Cancer

QUESTION: If I have understood the articles in my local paper, almost every
breast lump eventually turns out to be a cancer. That is a pretty frightening
situation, if it's true. Is it?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: Absolutely not! But you must suspect every breast lump to be
cancerous until diagnosed as something else, so that no problems are
overlooked and allowed to progress without proper attention. Remember that
breast cancer strikes one out of nine women in this country. If you have a
family history of the disease, you must be particularly watchful. Having no
family history of breast cancer, however, doesn't let you off the hook.
Eight-five percent of the women who have breast cancer ages 35 to 50 have no
family history of the disease. Take the aggressive path by doing a monthly
breast self-examination, and report any changes to your doctor. With his or
her help, the problem can be fully evaluated.
About half the women of childbearing age have lumpy, bumpy breasts. The
lumps can be caused by a variety of conditions, but the most common is
sometimes called "fibrocystic disease." This term is being used less and less
because the condition is a normal one and many feel it is inaccurate to
characterize it as a "disease." Instead, the lumps and thickenings are due to
the breast tissue's normal response to the body's monthly hormonal
fluctuations. This may continue after menopause if hormonal replacement is
used.
There is no proof that women with fibrocystic breasts are more prone to
cancer; however, the danger is that they may have a cancerous lump that goes
undetected. Women with difficult to examine breasts may avoid the important
monthly task of breast self-examination, because they are confused about what
they are feeling. This is understandable, but it's not smart. Examine your
breasts the same day of your cycle each month, after your period. If you
don't know how to perform the exam properly, call the American Cancer Society
or your doctor's office. The key is doing regular, thorough examinations so
that you know your breast tissue and will identify changes in it. The new,
low-dose mammograms are also excellent to diagnose breast cancer in its
earliest, most treatable stage.