Found a lump on right breast at about 4 o'clock position.

notadaygoesby

Hi Ladies,

I found a lump on my right breast (non-cancer side). Today, I had an ultrasound of the right breast and lymph nodes. I was told nodes look clear and lump is about 2mm and only a cyst. With the fear factor playing in my head. Do I get the cyst removed and could there be a misdiagnosis as being just a cyst, without a biopsy, is there room for error or is a cyst totally different than a tumor on an ultrasound. Geez, I just don't trust anything!!. I also have an MRI scheduled for my left hip due to so much joint/bone pain, I am on Arimidex for 6 months now from 1.5 years of Tamoxifen. Also scheduled an MRI of both beasts in the next two weeks. Figure Oncologist is covering all my complaints, which is great.

What's your thoughts?

lulu2533

I'm not positive but I think on an ultrasound cysts look very different than tumors because they are filled with fluid not solid like a tumor. I had a cyst on my opposite side and the radiologist that was doing the procedure took one look at it and drained it right there. There was no removing it, of course I had a BMX later anyway so...

Good luck with your MRI. I have terrible knee and ankle pain from Taxol/ Arimidex.

Cubbie2015

I don't know if it's always the case, but my personal experience was that cysts looked very different from a tumor. My radiologist showed me my tumor when I had my ultrasound, and I asked him about a lump I'd had on the same side since I was a teenager, which my NP thought was a cyst. It was a cyst, and looked very different - black (because of the fluid inside) with round, well defined edges. He showed me the rest of that ultra dense area on that side, and pointed out a bunch of other tiny cysts, which also looked very different from my tumor.

However, it retrospect, I think I was kind of dumb not to have that cyst drained in the 30 years I had it. It was 3 cm and it occurred to me afterward that if I had gotten a real lump over there, the cyst might have been in the way and prevented me from being able to feel it. I don't know if they could drain a 2mm cyst via needle. That would be tough to hit. I'd be inclined to ask for an repeat ultrasound for monitoring in 6 months, given your history, but I'm jumpy.

Side note - it is possible to have a cyst for decades. I have never seen this in any literature. I always figured it was a fibroadenoma, since I had it in my teens and it never changed.