home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
CD-ROM Today (UK) (Spanish) 15
/
CDRT.iso
/
dp
/
0113
/
01139.txt
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-01-17
|
3KB
|
63 lines
$Unique_ID{BRK01139}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{How Can Doctors Tell What's Wrong Without an Accurate Test?}
$Subject{special procedure procedures breast breasts mammography mammographies
lump lumps benign cancerous cancer cancers diaphanogrophy diaphanographies
cyst cysts biopsy biopsies laboratory lab test tests}
$Volume{P-19}
$Log{
Excisional and Endoscopic Biopsy*0001902.scf
Aspiration Biopsy*0001905.scf}
Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
How Can Doctors Tell What's Wrong Without an Accurate Test?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: I am a 29 year old woman. I recently found a lump in my breast and
visited my doctor, who said it could be a cyst. However, he refused to do a
mammogram. Another doctor who I visited for a second opinion also refused to
do a mammogram, saying I was too young and that it was probably a cyst. My
question is this--how can doctors tell you what's wrong without an accurate
test? I am concerned because my mother had breast cancer and died.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: While I understand your anxiety and can sense your frustration, I can
only hope that the information I will provide you here will help you
understand what is going on. To start with, most breast lumps are benign;
that is, they are not cancerous. In addition, cancer of the breast in a woman
under the age of thirty is rare. You were certainly correct in consulting
your doctor when you discovered your lump, but his examination, including an
inspection and palpation, provided him with a great deal of information about
your lump, its size and texture, and whether or not it was freely movable
under the skin. By shining a bright light through the breast
(diaphanogrophy), it is possible to tell whether the lump is filled with a
clear fluid, as in the case of a cyst. And a fluid filled cyst is not a
cancer. While the combination of a physical examination and mammography can
detect the presence of a cancer in about 97% of the cases, only a biopsy can
really tell if the tissue is cancerous or not. A biopsy is the surgical
removal of the lump, followed by a careful microscopic examination of the
tissue. Your statement that two physicians have examined this lump and not
permitted a mammography leads me to the conclusion that the lump was small and
freely movable, probably had the consistency of a cyst, and was filled with
fluid when examined with a light. That's very good evidence that it is not
cancer, and that the mammography would show little other evidence that could
either help make or change the diagnosis. Since your family history tells of
your mother and her disease, it is clear that you will have to continue to be
checked on a regular basis for any changes, but for now I think you safe
enough without the unneeded mammography. All that said, and being perfectly
correct from a strict medical perspective, if I felt your anxiety was
affecting you too intensely, I would probably order the test for you.
----------------
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.