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Is non-lactational common among women in their 30's?

I had a non-lactational mastitis in March (I was 31).  It cleared after months (long story).  I am still tender but chalking that up to fibrocystic changes.

I have two questions: 1) What would cause a non-lactational mastitis?  2) Is this a pre-cursor to anything scary (obviously I am concerned about cancer)?  

This was a weird thing that I had, it seemed like no one else had ever had it unless they were breast feeding.

It has been an emotional rollercoaster, thanks for your time in answering the questions.
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Avatar universal
Dear LI Girl, Some situations that we see non-lactational mastitis occur are in women with a history of diabetes, or in women with a depressed immune system (they are more prone to infections).  Infections do not lead to breast cancer.  However, some breast cancers lead to infections, or can look like infections as cancer cells grow, noncancer cells die off for lack of blood supply, and the dead tissue can get infected.  So it's possible, though extremely unusual, for a breast cancer to show up as a breast abscess.  There is a type of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer that can be mistaken for infection.  It starts with skin redness, warmth, and swelling.  What distinguishes it from infection is that it doesn't get better with antibiotics.
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Avatar universal
So, what how am I suppose to proceed?  My breast surgeon feels like all is fine but I continue to be worried.  I certainly do not want to be one of those people that gets diagnosed late.

If mammos and ultrasounds do not show it most of the time -- what is the recourse?  Are the symptoms obvious?
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