male breast lumps

[working]

Hi my son was at his gp as he found a breast lump a couple of weeks ago he is 24 years old the dr was going to prescribe antibiotics but as he has been on these long term through infection in broken leg she said that if it didnt go away in 2 weeks to go back and see her what do you think this could possibly be.
thanks nicky

[hamish]

Hi there,I am a 19 year old student and i have a large lump on my right breast.  I had this lump for about a year before i went to my GP about it.  I haden't gone previously because i found it embarresing to have a "mad boob" as it had been referred to. it was august 2003 when i was referred to a surgeon for an examination.  He comfirmed it to be a hormonal growth which sometimes accures in pubesent young men between the ages of 14 and even up to 25 year olds.  My lump is approx 8-10cm and is extremely painful wen pressed on, my nipple can become dry and itchy and when squeezed it expels a liquid some what like the colour of apple juice.  When i had my first examination with my GP he also checked glands in my arm pit, for what reason i don't know.  Unfortunately  I was to be addmitted for sugery yesterday(june 1st) but due to a throat infection the anethetist ws unwilling to continue with the op becasuse of the risk of further infection.  for anyone who is going to have their lump removed it is only an over night procedeure.  My GP told me that sometimes the lump disappears over time but my lump didnt seem to get any smaller and as i am of medium build it is very noticeble therefore i want it removed.  i am now scheduled for the op in three weeks time and if you wish to respond to this email b4 and after my sugery i will be more than willing to read them and get back to you. thank you  p.s. sorry about the spelling its not one of my strong points.

[coasterj]

My son is 14 yrs old and thinks there is something wrong with his breast. He has had a large lump in his left breast for three years now and it shows no signs of leaving. It is 3 1/2 inches wide. His left nipple often dries out and itches, when he pushes on it he says it hurts and sometimes it doesn't. When you feel the breast there seems to be layers of tissue stacked on top of each other. It isn't a very smooth bump, it has alot of rough edges and is uneven. The lump feels like it is just floating around in his breast, you can grab the sides of the lump and feel an underside of it. The top of the lump feels like it is almost attached to the inside of his breast (we think it is just because the lump is stretching out the skin and there is not much skin to grab). Although, the outside of his breast has no unusual color.

My son hates getting his blood taken, which is why he doesn't want to go to the doctor to get it checked out. Would they be able to tell what it was by a simple "feel" of the breast or would a blood test be involved?

Thanks

[surgeon]

Infections are very rare in the male breast, and would usually be associated with pain and redness, and cancer is nearly unheard of at his age, unless there's a strong family history: what's most likely is "gynecomastia," which is enlargement of male breast tissue. It occurs frequently at puberty, but can occur at any age. In by far the most cases, it just happens, and has no significance other than if it bothers a person enough to have the tissue removed. Other causes include some medications, marijuana, and, rarely, tumors of the testicle which produce hormones. So he ought to have his testicles examined, and if they're ok (which is very likely) and if he's not on those drugs, it's usually safe just to follow along. The physical exam of the lump is important, too: gynecomastia is usually fairly uniform and concentric with respect to the nipple.

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear working:  It is nearly impossible to guess at the many things this could be.  At 24 years old, it is unlikely to be cancer.  If it persists, though, it is reasonable to have it evaulated.