Hard lump between breast and collarbone.

Jesstunnell

so last week I noticed a very hard lump at the top of my breast about 2.5 inches below my collarbone. It's so hard it feels like a bone. When I lay down, it gets softer but is still firm and I can definitely feel around it when laying down. It doesn't really move, maybe slightly. It's not on the other breast at all. I'm only 25 so not too worried about it, hoping it's just a cyst. I have an appointment with my doctor on the 31st to have it looked at. I don't want the run around or be told “Come back in six months and we'll keep an eye on it" Whatever it is, I want to KNOW. So should I request an ultrasound to see if it's a cyst. And if it's not, should I request a mammogram? MRI? Biopsy? Has anyone had something similar in that area of the breast? What did it turn out to be?

Moderators

Dear Jesstunnell,

Welcome to our community. It sounds like you are worried and so we are glad that you reached out to us. It is always advisable to bring any breast changes to the attention of your doctor. Perhaps the best way to proceed is to first find out what your doctor has to say about the lump. If you remain concerned then you might inquire as to how and why additional screening tests are used and for what reason and if you are not a candidate for further testing what are the reasons. Perhaps others will weigh in here but It is hard for us and our members to truly advise you as to what to request as we don't have enough information and we are not doctors. Please keep us posted and let us know how things go next week. The Mods

djmammo

Jess

An ultrasound will probably tell the tale. Let us know what your doctor says.

Jesstunnell

I definitely will!

MTwoman

Jesstunnell, sorry that you're here with breast health concerns. As much as we'd all like firm answers to our medical questions, sometimes " Come back in six months and we'll keep an eye on it" is the appropriate response. There are actually written guidelines for breast findings in regards to imaging, biopsy etc. that correlate the characteristics of findings, to how likely is the finding malignant, to what are the recommendations AND what insurance covers based on the likelihood of something being b9 or not. The system that I'm referring to is the BIRADS scoring system. Read more about that here: http://breast-cancer.ca/bi-rads/ So, based on your findings' characteristics (on imaging) if you are a BIRADS 3, which means "probably benign", that has a pretty low positive predictive value (the chance that the finding is actually bc) of somewhere around 1-2%, the recommendation is "come back in 6 months" to insure that the area is stable.

Being referred for imaging is quite common, but frequently younger women are not given mammos (even if their gp orders it) as mammography doesn't "see" so well through dense breast tissue (common in younger women) so it isn't a very effective imaging technology for them. US "sees" better through dense tissue, but doesn't always "see" every kind of breast phenomenon. IMO, going to your doctor to get the evaluation process started is a good first step. Your chances of having bc at 25 are exceedingly low, but getting any new or concerning symptoms checked out is always a good policy. Good luck!

Jesstunnell

Hello all! I am back with an update! This past Tuesday I had an appointment with my doctor. She felt the lump immediately but her face did not give away anything. They didn't brush me off because of my age, thank goodness. She wrote down a few things and said she would send me for an ultrasound. I had my ultrasound this morning. The tech searched for maybe a minute, and then went to get the doctor. He came in and felt the lump with his fingers and searched a little longer on the screen. He said he didn't see anything worrisome on the ultrasound but he couldn't tell me what the lump was. He said to just monitor it and speak to my doctor if I grow more concerned. I guess I was making a strange face because he said "I wish I could tell you something more definitive but I can't."

Is it common for ultrasounds to miss something? I've already decided I'm going to request an MRI, I'm not okay with just NOT knowing what the lump is. Even if it's benign and absolutely NOTHING to worry about, I would still like to know.

(By the way, the doctor wrote that it was a firm, oval mass about 1cm if that's relevant at all)

Jesstunnell

Just another update. I had already made a follow up appointment with my doctor for Monday morning. Well the ultrasound tech just called me and said the doctor who was also doing the ultrasound wanted me to know he referred me to a general surgeon so that they can see if the lump is something to be concerned about. I’ll find out when that appointment is on Monday.

Micheleb52

What did you find out? I have something similar