Fibromatosis

[Veana]

I`m 26 years old and I just had two lumps removed,5cm mass in one breast and 2 cm in another. Results came out as Fibromatosis,keloid type.I was told that it is very rare for this to occur in the breast area and was not given  other info about this.
Is there any known cause for this or any prevention?
I`m not prone to scar tissue more than usual and would like to be more informed about this.Both lumps appeared within 4 months.
Also,what is the best post- operative treatment?At the moment i`m using E-oil on scars and doing light excercise for the area.
I feel discomfort and burning sensation sometimes but i guess that`s part of the healing process.It`s hard to know what kind of pain is normal or not.

Any information on this would be very helpful as I couldn`t find many fibromatosis cases on the net,even less in the hospitals.

Thanx

[Rraine]

Whoops, forgot to mention scar treatment...


I used heavy silicone 'scar treatment' self-adhesive sheets that stick on along the scar, first developed for burn victims.  You wear them 8-23 hours a day.  The silicone flattens the scar and diminishes the redness.  It is sold under several brand names - here is a link to one of them http://www.rejuveness.com/

It is quite expensive ($65 for an 8x12"sheet) but it did work very well.

[Rraine]

Hi-
I too was diagnosed with a fibromatosis tumour in the upper chest wall. It was surgically removed along with sections of my first and second ribs a little more than a year ago.  My chest wall was replaced with a Gore-tex patch.  

It wasn't until I researched the tumour type on the Internet that I found that although it is a rare form of benign tumour, it has a high local recurrence rate (60%) and can be very difficult to get rid of.  Apparently, none of my doctors knew this.  I marched back to my family doctor armed with a stack of medical reports printed off my computer.  She agreed to send me to an oncologist, who ordered another MRI, and surprise, surprise, the tumour is recurring.  Now I have another appointment with a surgeon and will require more of my chest wall removed, plus a course of radiation to try to get rid of the tumour.  My advice to you is to find out everything you possibly can on your type of tumour.  Ask for a copy of your tumour lab report and do a Google search on the internet for your tumour type. Make absolutely sure that your doctor knows that fibromatosis tumours do have a tendency to recur locally and that they are doing follow-up.

[Bet63]

I had 2 wire location biopsies except mine were done with mammography guidance, not ultrasound. The needle they use for freezing stings just a bit but you shouldn't feel anything after that. The sedation they used on me was instant...I was out like a light for the enitre procedure. You will probably wake up wondering if you've had the procedure. I had little pain afterwards but they will prescribe pain killers for you. The 2nd day was worst than the first for me. Just take it easy for a few days. I know the worst part for me was the waiting for results. It can be torture if you let it get to you. Try to think positive thoughts and take care of yourself. Good luck with your surgery and I wish you good results.
Bet

[Karen03]

I am going to have the wire inserted and then be brought up to the OR for surgery where they say I'll be under "sedation", some people tell me this means I'm pretty much out....I hope so, I would rather general amesthesia though so I don't know what's happening until it's done.

Do locals hurt in your breast, I'm not a needle person but I do realize that will be uncomfortable so I expect that to hurt a bit and I'll deal with that as long as I don't feel the wire being inserted.

[Veana]

Dear Karen,
My procedure was without inserted wire as my lumps were palpable but i guess they will give you local anestetic prior to wire inserting .Some biopsies are done under a local aneastetic ,depending on the size and other factors but i don`t know what your case is. But in both cases,you will not feel a thing.I had a core biopsy under a local and only felt discomfort but not pain while they were taking the samples.Look away and don`t think about it.My final biopsy was under a general anaestetic which makes you pass out completely.Afterwards you will be given something for the pain and it is never unbearable.Worst thing about it is fear and not knowing what is happening.

Good luck with everything!

[surgeon]

I think there may be confusion among the posters here between the term "fibromatosis" and "fibroadenoma." Fibroadenoma is a very common harmless tumor of the breast, and I'd assume the people who responded to the original post in fact have had fibroadenoma. Fibromatosis is an entirely different situation, whereas unusual tumors called fibroma (not fibroadenoma) can occur virtually anywhere in the body, and can be anywhere from a minor annoyance to a major problem (the "elephant man" had fibromatosis.) So if they occur in the breast, it's not really a breast problem per se, it's a problem of having fibromatosis, affecting the breast. Since that's extremely rare, it would be hard to find consensus about what to do; and even if one were to opt for such a thing as mastectomy, it wouldn't prevent occurances elsewhere in the body. I assume, since she said she was told it was rare, that the original questioner in fact has fibromatosis, as opposed to multiple fibroadenomas.

[Karen03]

I'm not sure there is any prevention for this. I have these types for years and have heard cut out the coffee, etc....

I'm going through a wire guided ultrasound and then surgery to remove a lump this coming Monday. I'm terrified and was wondering what your experience was like or if anyone can offer any insight on this procedure.

Karen

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear Veana:  We are not experts in fibromatosis - as our focus is on breast cancer.  Other than to say that these are often mistaken for breast cancer preoperatively.  You might find a breast specialist who has a focus in benign breast problems to help you locate more information.