"lobular" lump

[Gastritis_girl]

I am 23 years old and found 2 lumps on my right breast: one by the nipple and the other one at the 9am direction of the breast. I went to get a diagnostic ultrasound this morning, per my physician's order, and the radiologist who did the ultrasound told me that both lumps seem benign. The one by the nipple is 3cm big and has a smooth oval shape. The other one moves around and has a "lobular" shape...what does this mean?

He said both are benign and told me to schedule an appointment with a breast surgeon to get a biopsy.

I am worried about the lobular-shaped lump...should I be worried?

[zouzi]

This is also a very good decision!.
There is nothing better than knowing exactly what's going on with our health.
Yes please keep us updated....I wish you well and I hope that everything will turn up just fine for you. :)

[Gastritis_girl]

Hi zouzi,

Thank you so much for your support! After some thoughts, though, I think I am leaning more towards doing a biopsy first just so that when, and if, I tell my parents about this, I will have some proof that these lumps are benign. Knowing that my mom is going through the same thing, I'm pretty sure my parents would want to be 100% sure that my lumps are benign, to ease their worry.

I am trying to schedule the biopsy to be done as soon as possible.
I will keep you updated.

Thanks,

[zouzi]

Very wise decision!
I would think a second opinion would still give you the same choices,so why not remove them once and for all as your Doctor recommended ? At least it would be one expense instead of two.
I have no idea how much it would cost you to surgically remove the lumps.I guess you could call the Hospital where you'll have the surgery to find that out ?
Best wishes...

[Gastritis_girl]

I called my doctor this morning asking for her recommendation on whether to schedule a biopsy first before removing the lumps or whether to go ahead and remove the lumps without scheduling a biopsy. She said that if I want to remove the lumps, I might as well schedule the surgery without having the biopsy because the chance of these lumps being cancerous is zero and that a biopsy would just be extra cost.However, she said, if I don't want to remove the lumps, then go ahead and schedule a biopsy.  

I think do want the lumps removed, so I went ahead and scheduled the surgery for the end of January.

Do you think I should get a second doctor's opinion on this?
Also, do you know how much (in terms of a range of prices) this kind of surgery would cost?

[zouzi]

You welcome,
At the very least,if I were you,I would definitely ask for a biopsy to have peace of mind.
No matter how experienced Radiologists or Surgeons are,they can't be 100% sure of anything...That's why biopsies are performed to achieve a correct diagnosis.
All the best...

[Gastritis_girl]

Thank you for the advice zouzi.

A couple weeks ago when I saw the breast specialist, I was ok with waiting 6 months and not doing a biopsy, seeing how sure she was that these are benign. However, yesterday my mom called me telling me that she had just found a lump on her breast too and had just done an ultrasound and biopsy and is now waiting for the biopsy results to come out. That made me re-consider whether I should've done a biopsy now rather than wait 6 months.

I have not told my parents about my condition because they have enough on their plates right now with some other family members to take care of, so I can't ask for their opinion.

If you were me, what would you do?

[zouzi]

Hi again,
Your breast Specialist gave you a choice and it's really up to you to decide.
It all depends on how comfortable you are waiting six months to find out what has to be done concerning these tumors.
Fibroadenomas are solid lumps and the ONLY way to make sure that that's what they really are,is to have them biopsied or removed as your doctor recommended,because fibroadenomas can enlarge considerably during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
I hope you'll make the right decision.
Take care ...

[Gastritis_girl]

I saw my breast specialist about a couple weeks ago, and just by looking at the ultrasound images she said that it IS most likely fibroadenomas. She didn't do a biopsy though, and just said that she would recommend having these lumps removed just so that it won't be misunderstood for something else later when I get pregnant. She said i could choose to have them removed now or do another ultrasound in 6 months and decide then.

I told her that I'll just do another ultrasound in 6 months (or less, if the lump gets any bigger) and maybe remove them then.

I was fine with her not doing a biopsy since she sounded so sure, but now thinking back, should I have done a biopsy (esp since my mom just told me that she too just found a suspicious mass on her right breast and just did a biopsy even though her lump looks benign on the ultrasound)?

[zouzi]

You welcome,
Lobulated is the shape of the lump... sort of wavy.Many fibroadenomas could also present this way.
A lobulated lump has nothing to do with "Atypical Lobular Hyperplesia" which is discovered in some tumors only after a biopsy procedure is done and the tissue examined by a pathologist.
Please,try not to worry too much over this..Rest assured that the Breast Surgeon will be able put your mind at ease when everything is going to be explained to you in details and let you know what steps should be taken concerning this lump.
Take care...

[Gastritis_girl]

Thank you for letting me know.

I guess the lobulated mass gets me worried because after the ultrasound i was reading about an atypical lobular hyperplasia and that even though it is not breast cancer, it increases the risk of breast cancer by 4 to 5 times. And I thought that a lobulated mass is the same thing as an irregularly-shaped mass...is it? So could a lobulated mass NOT be an atypical lobular hyperplasia but rather another type of benign breast condition? And what is its relationship to breast cancer?

Thank you,

[zouzi]

Hi,
A round, oval, or lobulated mass has a high likelihood of being benign.
Experienced radiologists who deal with this daily, have a pretty good idea if a lump is more likely to be benign.As I mentioned in your previous post,cysts and fibroadenomas are the most common lumps found in the breasts.Cysts are fluid filled lumps,while fibroadenomas are solid and both are harmless.
However,to be a 100% certain that a solid breast lump is a fibroadenoma,radiologists usually recommend to see a Breast Surgeon who will look at your mammogram and ultrasound results and decide if the lump should be monitored or biopsied if he/she deems it necessary.
All the best.

P.S As "blubetterfly2222" has mentioned,please,do not start a new thread if you have any additional questions or comments.It is better if you keep them all on the same thread,because it helps us to have all your information together so we can better help you.
Thank you.

[bluebutterfly2222]

Please keep all of your related posts in one thread, so that: 1) all of your information will be available in one place, which helps us to provide better answers; 2) we will be able to see the answers that have already been given, so we do not duplicate our efforts; and 3) members interested in following you and your situation will know when additional developments have been  discussed.

Ypou can use this link to locate your original thread:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Breast-Cancer/2-Lumps-on-my-Breast-/show/1842517

Thanks,
bluebutterfly