My husband has a lump, he’s only 29

Reachforthestars

Hi. My husband (we have been together 10 years, but got married last year) has had a lump since the middle of December ish underneath / behind his left nipple/areola. It's like a hard disc and makes his areola and nipple stick out slightly. It's about 3-5cm diameter and like a disc or button that I can rock with my fingers. It's made his nipple skin feel very hard but he says it's not sore, he can just feel it when he raises his arm. He had gynecomastia as a teenager and he was very blasé and thought it was that again. I wish I had pushed him more now but with Christmas it was hard to get an appointment at the doctors, so he went at the beginning of January. The doctor said it was probably glandular and to come back in 2 weeks. He went again this week and the doctor said it looks like gymecomastia but that usually happens in both breasts, so he referred him for an urgent appointment.The more I have read up on it all the more terrified I am, he has an appointment at the breast clinic next Thursday and I am so worried waiting, I'm crying all the time and googling it. I don't want him to die, he's my best friend as well as my husband and we have so much planned together, and he has always wanted to get his novel published (he's halfway through writing it) he has so much to give. I feel like it's most likely breast cancer because of the size and positioning of it, am I overreacting? I just wish I made him go as soon as it appeared, I feel like if it was my lump I would've gone straight away and been referred straight away, but with him we all sort of didn't think it could be anything serious, and then the doctor fobbed him off as well. Any reassurance would be appreciated 😞

marie5890

Stop googling. You will only hear the bad, and often times outdated, stuff.

Your Dr is being prudent in wanting to find out what it definitely is, and not just guessing.

Hang in there.

Traveltext

Welcome to BCO Reachforthesrars. Most importantly, you and hubby are on to getting a diagnosis for his lump, so this is the main thing. It's typical that breast cancer is not the first thing thought of with lumps for guys so the delays you mention are pretty common. And very often men themselves are very loathe to take breast lumps seriously. Anyway, stay calm until you have more news and be sure to come back here with the resultsof your visit to the breast clinic since plenty of good advice is on tap here.

Reachforthestars

thank you so much guys. Just to say it all out loud helps, as I don’t want to worry him. We keep crying. Trying to just accept that it’ll be horrible during this waiting period and the sooner we find out what’s going on the better. I just look online and I can’t see many other reasons of what it could be other than cancer. There is the chance of gynocomastia but it usually happens to teenagers, old people or people with drugs and alcohol problems, none f which apply to him so I keep thinking cancer and worrying that it’s already quite large

I can’t bear it

Reachforthestars

As well as hoping and praying that it’s something else other than cancer, I want to ensure we get the most out of our appointment. I don’t want anything to be missed.

If they just do some scans and say it’s all fine, should we accept this? Or should I be pushing for a biopsy?

Micmel

if they think he needs one, they will order one. Deep breath. Deep breath. One day at a time. You'll go crazy otherwise. My good thoughts are with you both. For a positive outcome!!!! Many good vibes sente your way! ~M~

Reachforthestars

thank you so much micmel, it means so much to have someone’s good thoughts.

I’m really hoping I’m just over reacting and it’s all just in my head, but I really don’t know what else this lump could be except gynecomastia

mustlovepoodles

Reach, one thing you should know: if you Google "Breast lump" everything will come up "breast cancer." Breast cancer is very rare in men, especially under 60. The waiting game IS stressful, but you can get through it. Try not to dwell on the idea that this could only be a lethal cancer. This lump is much more likely to be benign than cancerous.

In the meantime, keep your hands busy: busy hands will keep your brain busy so you don't perseverate on this quite so much. And definitely stop googling!

Reachforthestars

thank you mustlovepoodles, fingers crossed. He’s so young and healthy, very careful about what he puts into his body, it would be so cruel. I try to not think about it but I just wish I could fast forward to thursday

djmammo

Reachforthestars

In men, many medications can cause gynecomastia. Make sure his docs have a complete list of all medications (both legal and illegal) that he has used over the past year.

see below

Table 1 – List of drugs that can cause gynecomastia

Drugs frequently causing gynecomastia1
Antiandrogens	Bicalutamide, flutamide, finasteride, dutasteride
Antihypertensive	Spironolactone
Antiretroviral	Protease inhibitors (saquinavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, lopinavir), reverse transcriptase inhibitors (stavudine, zidovudine, lamivudine)
Environmental exposure	Phenothrin (antiparasitical)
Exogenous hormones	Oestrogens, prednisone (male teenagers)
Gastrointestinal drugs	H2 histamine receptor blockers (cimetidine)
Drugs possibly causing gynecomastia1
Antifungal	Ketoconazole (prolonged oral use)
Antihypertensive	Calcium channel blockers (amlodipine, diltiazem, felodipine, nifedipine, verapamil)
Antipsychotic (first generation)	Haloperidol, olanzapine, paliperidone (high doses), risperidone (high doses), ziprasidone
Antiretroviral	Efavirenz
Chemotherapy drugs	Methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan, bleomycin, cisplatin, vincristine, procarbazine
Exogenous hormones	Androgens (athletes abuse)
Gastrointestinal drugs	Proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole)
Cardiovascular drugs	Phytoestrogens (soya-based products, high quantity)
Drugs rarely or very unlikely causing gynecomastia1
Miscellany	Amiodarone, amphetamine, aripiprazole, atorvastatin, captopril, cetirizine, clonidine, cyproterone acetate, dasatinib, diazepam, diethylstilbestrol, digoxin, domperidone, entecavir, ethanol, fenofibrate, fluoxetine, gabapentin, heroin, imatinib, lisinopril, loratadine, marijuana, methadone, metronidazole, misoprostol, MyTosterone®, paroxetine, penicillamine, phthalates, pravastatin, pregabalin, ranitidine, rosuvastatin, sulindac, sulpiride, sunitinib, theophylline, venlafaxine
Data from the National Pharmacovigilance Network (reports)2
	Bicalutamide (44), dutasteride (31), flutamide (28), finasteride (26), furosemide/spironolactone (21), ranitidine (15), potassium (14), spironolactone (14), domperidone (12), lansoprazole (11), omeprazole (9), esomeprazole (7), tamsulosin (7), canrenone (6), risperidone (6), atorvastatin (5), rosuvastatin (4)
1 Contents adapted from Pharmacotherapy 2012;32:1123-40 2 Drugs reported as suspected gynecomastia cause from at least 4 times. Active principles are listed by decreasing number of reports (in brackets). Data updated to 31/12/2012

Reachforthestars

Thank you.

he doesn't and hasn't been on any medication, he has never taken drugs and only s small amount of alcohol

Reachforthestars

thank you for all the information this is very helpful.

There is one thing I just remembered. He suffers from bouts of anxiety/ panic attacks and he told me recently that sometimes when it happens he squeezes that nipple (sounds strange I know, but he says it helps him to focus his mind and get through the anxiety) he has stopped doing this since noticing the lump.

Could it have anything to do with it? Thank you

djmammo

Reachforthestars

Pass that on to his doctors

Reachforthestars

could that be a reason for it?

I’m really thinking the worst

ksusan

I feel for you, but we're not doctors, so while we can reassure you about statistics and such, we can't tell you the cause of this lump or give you any definitive comfort. Only a medical exam can do this. Meanwhile, the calmer you can be, the more you can be present for your husband.

Reachforthestars

thank you, yes I understand and it makes me feel better to have replies with all this useful information. It helps me not feel so alone.

My husband is also very slim, so he doesn’t really have much breast tissue, it’s not something I thought of as the reason until it persisted longer than a month. Apparently men have a higher risk of breast cancer if they are overweight.

Reachforthestars

it gets harder and harder. I’m so tired from the worry about this appointment. I don’t care about myself at all, all I care about is his life and how much he deserves to live a full life.

I can’t believe we have to do this all over again tomorrow before we reach the appointment day. I wish I could’ve marched him in there straight away and got him seen. I can’t wait anyjore

officallygina

Reach, CALM DOWN. You need to do whatever you can to get your mind off of this. I know it's easier said than done but you're only going to make yourself and your hubby more and more terrified. Also, remember, IF (and there is a 99.9 chance that it is NOT) it is BC, remember treatment has come a long way. Your husband is young and strong and he is not going anywhere. Focus on that, okay? Now watch I love Lucy and pig out on some junk food or something. Try your best to relax. All the best, Regina.

Reachforthestars

Hi all,

So we went to the hospital today and they checked his lump and testicles and did an ultrasound, and the lump is benign!! I’m so happy! They said it’s definitely not cancerous or ore cancerous.

Thank you so much to all of you for calming me down and thinking of us.

They said it’s gynaecomastia, which he had as a teenager. He doesn’t fit into any of the reasons for it though, he’s very slim and doesn’t drink or take drugs or any supplements/hormones. Because of this they want to do blood tests to find out why he has this, but it might go away on its own.

I just wanted to check in firstly to say thank you and good luck to you all with your treatment.

Also I just wanted to post this to give anyone chance to respond if they think I should push for a biopsy on this.

Thank you again

Traveltext

Excellent news. What a relief for you both. Definitely no to a biopsy, since one would be totally uncalled for.

marie5890

Great news!! You were wise to have it checked out, so whenever you or your husband find a new lump, please have it checked out. Most are B9, but always have it checked out.

Enjoy your spring!!

mustlovepoodles

Glad it's been checked out. No to the biopsy. It will only cause unnecessary pain and scar tissue. If the lump had even a 3% chance if being cancer, they'd be pushing you for a biopsy. As we've all said, his chance of this being cancerous at the age of 29 is ridiculously low. I think you can breathe a sigh of relief now.

djmammo

Reachforthestars

Did they tell you what they think it is or just that its benign?