bump on breast!

i am really scared i am 13 and i have a bump just a little above my right nipple and it hurts like carzy !!! even when i wear a bra or not! it wont stop the bump is under my skin and is hard ! i got freaked out that what if its cancer? you can see it only if you touch it!  i found out saturday and its sunday today. my mom is taking me to the doctor monday or tusday! what could it be? and how can i treat it? When i go to the doctor what will he do ? will it hurt?

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  At your age, the possibility of having breast cancer is very remote.  Cancer takes years, even decades to develop into something observable.  You're just too young to have it! That "painful bump" you have above the right nipple, may be a "breast bud", which is normally seen in girls undergoing puberty.  The breast bud is a sign that your breasts are beginning to develop and mature.  Of course, there is always a possibility that it may be a non-cancerous mass, like fibrocystic disease or fibroadenoma, or even a breast infection (mastitis). These conditions are not serious and are very treatable.

When you visit the doctor, he's probably going to ask you questions  about your condition, then examine your breasts and feel for the mass.  If he needs to confirm his diagnosis, he may order a breast ultrasound or a mammogram.  The mammography may hurt, since this procedure involves compressing your breast to get a better view of the lump.  If what you have is just a breast bud,  then there probably won't be any need to resort to mammography.