Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Breast Cancer (Expert Forum)
Hard lump in armpit of my 10 year old daughter
Questions posted in the Breast Cancer Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Cleveland Clinic. Topics include Breast Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Lumps, Lumpectomy, Lymph node dissection, Lymphedema, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Radiation Therapy, Reconstruction, Self Breast Exam, and Surgery.
Hard lump in armpit of my 10 year old daughter
by lissysmom, Apr 23, 2005 12:00AM
Hello,
My 10 year old daughter has a large lump in her armpit. When we first noticed it, it was about the size of a pencil eraser or smaller. Now it has grown larger than a silver dollar in about 2 months time. It hurts her, but only when she lifts her arm....it doesn't bother her at all if she keeps her arm down. It is very hard and does not move at all....poor thing though she is in pain when I try to move it. I took her to the Dr Tuesday (4-19) and they did X-rays, but when she was gone doing the X-rays the Dr told me, "I didn't want to say this in front of her and I don't want to alarm you but the fact that she has this at 10 years old is not normal at all and it sends red flags up." Dr perscribed an antibiotic and said that if it was a cyst then the lump would get smaller within a few days....she also said we need to do a biopsy. My daughter has been taking the antibiotic since Tuesday, will be done with it on Monday...this is Saturday and it is still the same size. The biopsy is scheduled for May 10th and I am going to go crazy in the meantime waiting for that day. My question is this, if they really thought it was just a cyst why would they have still scheduled the biopsy for so long down the road when the cyst would be gone by then? I am fearing the worst, that this is in fact cancer. I know cancer doesn't usually hurt, but this lump doesn't hurt her except when she lifts her arm, and I think it's because it is right there by the muscle. I need an honest answer for if this is cancer, what next? Please respond asap, I think I am going to lose my mind.
Thank you
My 10 year old daughter has a large lump in her armpit. When we first noticed it, it was about the size of a pencil eraser or smaller. Now it has grown larger than a silver dollar in about 2 months time. It hurts her, but only when she lifts her arm....it doesn't bother her at all if she keeps her arm down. It is very hard and does not move at all....poor thing though she is in pain when I try to move it. I took her to the Dr Tuesday (4-19) and they did X-rays, but when she was gone doing the X-rays the Dr told me, "I didn't want to say this in front of her and I don't want to alarm you but the fact that she has this at 10 years old is not normal at all and it sends red flags up." Dr perscribed an antibiotic and said that if it was a cyst then the lump would get smaller within a few days....she also said we need to do a biopsy. My daughter has been taking the antibiotic since Tuesday, will be done with it on Monday...this is Saturday and it is still the same size. The biopsy is scheduled for May 10th and I am going to go crazy in the meantime waiting for that day. My question is this, if they really thought it was just a cyst why would they have still scheduled the biopsy for so long down the road when the cyst would be gone by then? I am fearing the worst, that this is in fact cancer. I know cancer doesn't usually hurt, but this lump doesn't hurt her except when she lifts her arm, and I think it's because it is right there by the muscle. I need an honest answer for if this is cancer, what next? Please respond asap, I think I am going to lose my mind.
Thank you
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-RN,MSN-rf, Apr 25, 2005 12:00AM
Dear lissysmom: Lumps under the arm can be several things including infection, benign growths and cancer. Breast cancer in this age-category is essentially unheard of, although there are other types of cancer that can occur in childhood. Without being able to examine your daughter or know what the x-ray showed it is impossible for us to guess what this might be. Your daughter's physician may be able to give you a better idea of what the possibilities are.
Theresa.lissysmom