Fibrocystic Breast Disease
Just the thought of breast cancer can be frightening enough,
but finding a lump can cause a woman to imagine the worst.
It doesn't always have to be if you take action.
Millions of women have lumps on their breasts that are not
cancerous, but it's critical for you to know how you can tell
if your lump needs more attention.
Though
not life threatening, it can cause alarm when women first
learn they have it.
"Obviously,
I thought it could be cancer, you know, it could be cancer,"
Hope Craft, who has the disease, said. "In fact, it really
bothered me."
"They're
always a bit fearful that it could go on into something worse,
but the fact of the matter is, is that with very few exceptions,
most of these things are benign and stay benign forever,"
Dr. Ronald Young said.
It
isn't clear why women get fibrocystic lumps. Doctors believe
the products containing caffeine such as soft drinks, coffee
and chocolate can play a role in their development. Hope stopped
drinking so much caffeine and the tenderness subsided.
"I
became more conscious," she said. "My family members, my sisters
and, you know, they were coffee drinkers and I showed him
to do their own breast exam and made them aware of that."
"For
many women, it might be a little frightening but it's not
a bad thing to have because they become very vigilant over
the course of their lives about their breasts and they become
the best protected patients," Dr. Young said.
One
of the keys to surviving breast cancer is early detection
and whether you have fibrocystic disease or not, breast self-examination
is a critical part of prevention.
While
fibrocystic lumps are thought to be non-cancerous, doctors
recommend that if you do notice changes through self-examination
and you're concerned, it's best to see your doctor.
