Concerned and Scared

[fox12345]

Hello, I am a 19 year old male who is concerned about breast cancer. About a month ago, I noticed a lump in my left nipple, just below the areola. The lump was kinda firm and not too hard. I also noticed that if I squeezed just the lump (squeezing the nipple resulted in nothing), I could get a little bit of clear discharge in one duct. I had been squeezing the lump sence i knew it was there but didn't notice any discharge until 2 weeks after I had first noticed the lump. I had the doctor feel it and he said it felt like gynecomastita but had an ultra sound anyway. The results showed that it didn't look like clear cut gynecomastiats and we just had a full biopsy. I have read around in the internet and have seen that these are symptoms of breast cancer but I'm only 19. If this isn't bc, what else do you think it could be? Do you think I could have infected the lump by squeezing it too much and the discharge was the result? Thank you.

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Male breast cancer is rare, but one out of every 150 cases of breast cancer involves a man, usually in men over 60 years old. Although a painless breast lump is the most common sign, most breast lumps in men are benign (non-cancerous) and are related to some other cause.  So in your case it would be really very unlikely that cancer is the problem.  The biopsy will clarify, it is possible that some infection is present.

[surgeon]

Pain could be due to any number of things. As you have been told by me and by the Cleveland Clinic nurse, breast cancer isn't on the list at your age.

[fox12345]

Thanks for the info. Just out of curosoity, I have been having some pain on my left side, (in my shoulder and arm and on the left side of my ribs) could this be related to the lump in anyway or be a result of cancer spreading (although i don't think it is) The pain is dull and kinda ache and only started about 5 days ago.

[surgeon]

male breast cancer is nearly unheard of at your age. Ultrasound for a lump like that doesn't tell anything you didn't know: ultrasound really only can tell if it's a cyst, and cysts are as rare as cancer in a 19 year old male. The biopsy will give an answer, and it's safe to say it will turn out ok. Squeezing could conceivably caused infection, but it's doubtful. As with females, being able to produce fluid with enough squeezing is common; the only kind of discharge that we really worry about is that which occurs without squeezing; and even then, only if it's bloody or watery, for the most part.