Question about referral to vascular surgeon regarding lump in armpit

[sargesmommy]

I am 23 y.o. and in March (9 mo ago) found a lump in my right armpit,I can only feel it when laying on my side or with a pillow under my shoulder (it seems to be about an inch or more long)and it hadn't been bothering me until I noticed the breast near it felt "veiny" and I could feel something when I put muy arm down.I had no insurance until Aug, and was too busy until this week (student teaching),so didn't call Dr. until Monday since I couldn't really feel the mass (out of site out of mind).I had a left cervical lymph node removed in 1996 and another in 2000 on the other side for biopsy.The first was Cat Scratch Disease, the second nothing.My GYN wanted to see me that day,so I went in. She could feel the mass without me laying at an angle, noticed that there is a strong pulse either in the mass or very near it, and some thickness of breast tissue near the area. I can now feel "something" when I put my arm down, that is why I called the Dr. It doesn't hurt at all or move, just feels "there." She referred me to a vascular surgeon because of the pulse (I assume). She said she didn't know if it was an extremely enlarged blood vessel or what was causing it. I have not been able to find ANY information on something like this (a lump with a pulse,etc). I have an appointment with the surgeon Dec. 18. Do you all have any suggestions as to what this could be,what info I might try to research? I am just trying to get some idea for WHAT this could be.At my age and with no fam. his. of BC (other cancers though),BC is very unlikely, so I am curious what other things could be the cause.

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear sargesmommy:  A puls can be felt anytime you are close to an artery - and if you are thin - you don't always have to be that close.  My guess is that your doctor is concerned for a pulsating lump withing the breast.  It is possible that this could represent an aneurysm (weakening of a wall of a blood vessel causing it to balloon out) - thus the referral to the vascular surgeon.  An ultrasound may be another good diagnostic tool.  It is premature to try to guess at what this is - or if it is anything to worry about.

[surgeon]

First of all, my best wild guess is that it will be insignificant as far as the pulse is concerned: the axillary artery, which is the one in the armpit, is big enough that its pulse can be transmitted thru other lumps when feeling it, especially if the examiner is not doing such evaluations regularly, as would be the case with your gyn. There are lumps with pulses: aneurysms of an artery are the main thing: they are bulges in arteries that can occur from injury, weakening from disease, or as a result of a narrow area behind it that causes blood to squirt through under pressure which bulges the wall beyond. Whereas these are possibilites, they really aren't very likely at your age, and my advice is to not get too worried or to start researching a thing before you find out what it really is. Because it very well could turn out to be of no significance.