Do I really need a biopsy for a papilloma?

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bew66
bew66 Member Posts: 81
edited September 2017 in Just Diagnosed

Hello,

Brand new to this forum, and I'm hoping to get some advice.  Back in Feb. 2017, I had my first 3D mammogram, (1st mammo in 4 years, I'm 57 years old) that showed architechural distortion in my left breast.  The ultrasound did not correlate with the mammo, but did show something which the dr. did not go into detail about.  Had a mammo guided CNB of the area of distortion that said everything was benign.  Follow-up 6 mos later, mammo looked unchanged, but now the focus is on the US finding which the dr. said is a papilloma. She said papillomas are benign, but recommended another biopsy.  The dr. seemed very unconcerned about the papilloma and even said that if I didn't want to, it would be ok to skip the biopsy.  I asked her specifically what her recommendation was, and she said she would biopsy it. I found the whole thing very confusing, but went ahead a scheduled a biopsy for this Wednesday.  After googling intraductal papilloma, I feel even more confused.  I'm seriously considering canceling the biopsy.  I'm not a hypochondriac, and think I would be very comfortable taking a watchful waiting approach.  Do any of you Ladies have any advice for me on whether I should go ahead with the biopsy, or just follow up in 6 months?

Thank you for any advice/input.



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Comments

  • mystic88
    mystic88 Member Posts: 155
    edited September 2017

    Hi bew66,

    Most docs recommend repeating biopsies to make sure there are no changes compared to the original results. Kind of a better safe than sorry. It's not a very invasive prprocedure and the benefits outweigh the possible complications.


    Good luck


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  • bew66
    bew66 Member Posts: 81
    edited September 2017

    Thank you, mystic88, for taking the time to read and respond.

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  • Brightness456
    Brightness456 Member Posts: 340
    edited September 2017

    I'm not as knowledgeable as many here, but I'll tell you about my experience. I had a papilloma, along with an IDC tumor. I was told a papilloma is not cancerous, but can mutate into cancer, so when I had my lumpectomy, they went ahead and took it out too. Maybe if yours isn't very big, they could do an excisional biopsy and take it all out? That way it could be biopsied just in case and it will also causevery little disruption to your day.

    My concern with the wait and see approach is that it might be easily fixable right now, but if it does turn into something, you might be facing a more complex fix in 6 months. Then again, I do have a bit of a gloom and doom attitude these days...

    I hope whatever you decide, you have peace of mind and confidence moving forward.

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  • bew66
    bew66 Member Posts: 81
    edited September 2017

    Thank you for your response, Brightness456.  I called and canceled tomorrow's biopsy.  I still feel a confused about it, but I'm comfortable with my decision.  Let's hope I don't regret it in 6 months.

    May I ask if your papilloma was in close proximity to the IDC?  From what I have read, it seems finding a cancer in close proximity is the real concern, rather than a papilloma that turns into cancer.  Like I said, I found the information (even what my Dr. said) to be kind of confusing.  My concern is that the biopsy will be benign, but the recommendation will be to excise it anyway, and STILL need every 6 month follow-ups. 

    Thanks again for reading and responding.  And best of luck to you!

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  • Brightness456
    Brightness456 Member Posts: 340
    edited September 2017

    Mine wasn't too close. The papilloma was just under my nipple. The tumor was close to my chest wall at the top-ish part of my breast. This stuff is scary for sure, but it sounds like you made the best decision for you for right now. I suppose if you reconsider later, you could always reschedule it then. I hope it's nothing though

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  • MTwoman
    MTwoman Member Posts: 2,704
    edited September 2017

    My understanding of Papilloma is that 1) they are a marker for a slightly increased risk of bc: http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/breast_changes

    and that they can actually conceal actual bc on imaging:

    http://breast-cancer.ca/papily/


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