Any post-menopausal ladies have a lump with a benign diagnosis?

Hodor

Hello! I am nearly two years out from surgical menopause and NOT on HRT. I discovered a small painful lump behind my areola at the beginning of December. The pain caused me to search for and find my lump; it hurt (throbbing, sharp pain) for a week or two, but no longer hurts (unless I poke at it too often!). I have no idea if the lump is new or had been there previously, but the pain was certainly new...when I lay down it is very near my nipple and it's not in an area I've checked well with my breast exams. It is smooth and firm and roundish and doesn't move much.

I had a diagnostic mammo and an ultrasound, neither of which showed anything. The breast surgeon wanted me to wait three months for a recheck (breast cancer NEVER hurts, she said). I went back a couple of weeks ago requesting excision, but she still wants me to wait three months. I do not understand why! She can feel it, as could the ultrasound tech. I am no longer having monthly cycles, so what are the chances it will go away on its own?

I understand that 80% of biopsies are benign, but what about for post-menopausal women? I have read that cancer should be assumed until proven otherwise in post-menopausal gals, but why then is there no sense of urgency on the part of my surgeon?

I have dutifully scheduled my three month ultrasound and next appointment with her and now must wait, all the while a cancer could be spreading inside me. I am frustrated and having difficulty sleeping because of this. It doesn't feel like it has grown any since December, so I only have that bit of hope to cling to. Do post-menopausal women also get new lumps that are often benign?

Peregrinelady

That surgeon is wrong! After being misdiagnosed for 20 months with a lump that sounds like yours, except initially it was movable (another misconception), I started getting shooting pains. My lump was not seen on mammogram nor ultrasound and my stupid pcp just called me and said everything was benign. She didn’t even recommend a follow up. However, I was still having cycles at 52. Either way, is there another surgeon you could go to for a second opinion? It could still very well be benign, but better safe than sorry.

MelissaDallas

I would get a copy of my records, to include the radiology reports so that I knew exactly what they say. Do they really show "nothing" or do they show "something" that appears benign?

Hodor

Thank you so much for your replies!

Periegrinelady, I am so sorry you were misdiagnosed for 20 months - that is truly horrendous!

I am considering going for a second opinion, but wonder if I have enough time; my three month ultrasound is on March 1, so just a few weeks at this point.

I am angry because when I saw the surgeon before Christmas, she told me to wait three months, but if it was really worrying me, she would take it out. When I went back after Christmas for a pre-surgery consult, she said she wanted to wait the full three months, so I've wasted time that could have been spent consulting with another surgeon.

Melissa, my mammogram didn't show anything (but my breasts are dense), and the ultrasound tech couldn't find it, even though she could feel the lump and put the transducer right on top of it. Nothing was visible on the screen. I have read that the retro-areolar area is difficult to assess with ultrasound, so that has me worried that they missed something. Obviously something is there!

It seems to me that breast surgeons say the usual thing to patients - breast cancer doesn't hurt...breast cancer grows slowly...breast cancer doesn't feel smooth like that...but from reading on here, those things aren't necessarily true! I am so frustrated and worried...if it IS cancer, I will have wasted three months waiting.

Springflowers

This is interesting, I have a lump in left breast that has been "monitored" for a few years, I don't even remember since when but before cancer found in right breast. I was told no concern d/t near nipple and hard and round. So lately, I have had BC in other breast and I am menopausal now and it is still there and I am concerned. I went and got my mammo report to see what it says and how it is being monitored. It was NOT even mentioned. This freaked me out. I went to GP and stated how is it being monitored if not even seen on mammo ( my cancer was not seen on mammo either). She said she would look into it. I messaged her today as I have not heard anything in 2 weeks since then. Right now I have post menopausal bleeding and thickened endometrium, not on tamoxifen or anything else. I have to wait 6 weeks for biopsy, 4 down 2 more to go. Feb 22 for that. I am a little freaked out.

Hodor

Hi Nan, the more I read, the more disheartened I get!! As women, we have "early detection is key" drilled into our heads repeatedly, but then when we find a lump, doctors often dismiss our concerns! It is appalling! Did you have an MRI on both breasts when you were diagnosed with cancer in the right? If my next ultrasound shows nothing (like the last one did), I am insisting on a lumpectomy or an MRI...

JoTheGreek

Yes, hun, post menopausal women with new findings on imaging do get benign histology reports.

Springflowers

I have never had an MRI, first one will be in May. When I found my lump and then mammo did not pick it up, I had tomography and US. Lesion was seen on ultrasound.

Springflowers

I had ultrasound on my "lump" that is being monitored and radiologist had s brief look at it before I left and he told me it did not look like anything concerning and he did not need any further imaging. I was so relieved.

Hodor

Update! I had my lump removed on Monday and received my results today - it's benign! It turned out to be an epithelial inclusion cyst. Apparently they can very rarely undergo malignant transformation, so I am so glad I pushed to have it removed. It was removed intact with surrounding tissue.

So if there are other post-menopausal ladies out there worrying about a newish lump, they absolutely can turn out to be benign, even at our age! (But please get any lump checked out by a doctor asap!)

Thank you to all who took the time to answer my questions; you gave me the resolve to insist upon additional testing and removal...I am so grateful!

Hodor

Springflowers

Great news, mine was a cyst too, very happy.