fibroadenoma?

[elkie]

hi
i'm 26 and found a lump (somewhat moveable, about 1 cm wide and 2 cm long) in my right breast a year ago.  after ultrasound i was told it was most likely a fibroadenoma.  i had an ultrasound guided biopsy that came back with a diagnosis of fibrocystic change.  i was always uncomfortable with this diagnosis as the microscopic diagnosis did not seem to match up with the macroscopic characteristics of the lump.  this year when i went for my annual gynecological exam i expressed these concerns to my (new) doctor and she agreed.  i had another ultrasound that indicated that the lump had grown since the previous ultrasound.  the radiologist said this was atypical in someone my age.  he also said he was 99% sure the previous biopsy had missed the mass.  how common is this? and is it indeed atypical for a fibroadenoma to be slowly increasing in size?
i opted for a surgical excision/open biopsy and am now awaiting the results.

[speeds68]

Hi there,

Fibroadenoma, it hurts cant even breathe sometimes, but
just had a surgrey to remove my 3 fibro couple days ago.
procedure takes a while but the surgery itself is not a problem.
i had a little pain afterwards gone the next day.
you guys should try it i'm happy w/ my result.

good luck,
speed

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear elkie:  Fibroadenomas usually grow over a 12 month period to approximately 2-3cm.  Some grow as large as 5cm.  About 50% of fibroadenomas will disappear within 5 years.  Others will last about 15 years.  Fibroadenomas are usually fairly distinct on mammograms and ultrasounds.  Having said that, they are often removed, just to be sure there is no cancer.