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Breast Cancer (Expert Forum)
Discharge
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.
Discharge
by sonost, Nov 05, 2001 12:00AM
I am a 22 year old female who has never been pregnant. About a month and a half ago I noticed a wet spot on the left side of my bra and when I touched my left breast a pus colored discharge came out. Since that time the discharge has become clear and it is mildly sticky. There is very little discharge - only a few drops at a time - but I have noticed that my breast has gotten like a swollen lump in it near the nipple. It is not like a normal cyst (I have a few - all just fluid filled) but more like a goose egg lump you would get if you bumped your head or something. I've had one ultrasound and am schedualed for a second in about a week. The first one didn't turn up anything new. Given my age and family history (my mom had two young cousins with b.c. but she's one of 7 girls and neither she nor her sisters, or any of my cousins, have ever been diagnosed with b.c.) I'm not all that worried about cancer but I am wondering what it could be. Could this all just be simply due to hormones? And should I get a mammogram?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-RN,MSN-JS, Nov 07, 2001 12:00AM
Dear Sonost, It is difficult to say what this discharge is, nipple discharge can be due to hormone fluctuations. Of concern is if this discharge is spontaneous, from only one-side, sticky like the consistency of an egg white or bloody. An ultrasound is used to try to determine if the lump is fluid filled which would be more indicative of a cyst. A mammogram might be used but in young women, because there is a higher ratio of breast tissue to fat, the breasts are more dense and the information obtained from a mammogram might not be useful. They may opt to try to drain or take a sample from this lump to evaluate the situation further.
