lump removed, will breast be smaller than other?

marissag

Hi, I had an ultrasound after feeling a painful lump, this revealed that I had 7 small lumps in my left breast. Since I'm only 16 the doctors assured that they are almost 100% sure they're only fibroadenomas and it would be nearly impossible for me to have breast cancer. the ultrasound showed the biggest lump was only 2cm, but because of how painful it was and the possibility of it growing, 4 days ago I had it removed. The surgeon assured me breast tissue would most likely fill up the small spot the lump once was. After removal, the lump ended up being 5 and a half cm ! Now I'm not too sure that breast tissue will fill up the spot. My bra size is a 32c, and they have not grown since I was 12. My height has also not changed since that age. I am 5'7 and almost positive that I am done growing ! Has anyone else had a similar experience and if so, did breast tissue in fact fill up the space the fibroadenoma once took? Being young this is a big concern of mine. The incision was small and around my areola I'm not worried about a nasty scar, but my boobs being drastically unsymetrical is something I am worrying about.

70charger

you won't really know how it is going to look for 6-8 months. Once all the swelling has gone down u & your surgeon will have a much better idea. Maybe it will look smaller, maybe it won't. Keep in mind most women have one side that is naturally larger than the other anyway. Good luck, I know it is hard waiting & waiting, but it does need time. Hugs

Tinyfrog

I had the same worry as you, as well. I had a 9cm phyllodes (with multifocal IDC) taken out Dec 13. (They thought it was a giant fibroadenoma.) It started in the upper outer quadrant, and at one time covered my entire breast. They had to make a 4 inch incision along the entire side to get it out. My breasts are now roughly the same size - usually they're asymmetrical.

marissag

That sounds awful. I'm sorry you had to experience that! But i am glad to hear that you weren't left disfigured or anything, especially considering yours was 9cm.

Tinyfrog

Oh sure, thanks. Actually I didn't realize how well the first surgery went to remove the tumor, until I had a second surgery 3 weeks later for the node (felt sick for days and got a seroma). It's amazing to come on the forum, and get validated by seeing people asking the same questions that I had asked, but was made to feel like an idiot by my surgeon, who had probably been doing this so long, that she had forgotten that most everyone coming into her office was going through it for the first time. I asked the exact same question you had asked. Apparently the tumor was pushing the rest of my breast tissue out and up towards my underarm, and made the breast probably 2 sizes bigger than the other. Once the tumor was taken out, the breast is relatively the same size as the other, perhaps even still slightly bigger. I would gather that tumor cells multiply in addition to the breast tissue already there, so they're taking away a surplus. Most people end up with less when they have to take away the margin - the extra breast tissue around the tumor to make sure they got everything.

On another note it's a good thing that they agreed to take out the fibroadenoma. I had no idea that the only true way of knowing what it is, is to take out the entire lump and send to pathology. I had a 2.5 cm lump measured on ultrasound in 2013, which they didn't take out thinking it was just a fibroadenoma. I had 5 mammograms, 2 US, 1 fine and 1 core biopsy, and an MRI since then, all saying it was a fibroadenoma. They only discovered it was a phyllodes with IDC and DCIS after pathology - almost 4 years later.

BTW, you can see you tube videos of surgeries removing absolutely massive fibroadenomas, where one breast is like the elephant man. After surgery, the two breasts are the same size.

MorgYig

From all the surgeries I've had, I've noticed no change in breast size. Breast tissue and/or scar tissue usually fill in the now empty space.