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BREAST CANCER: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

 

Most people find it difficult to remember the things they wanted to ask when they are trying to take in the information being given to them by their doctor.
The answers given here are general, and your GP or surgeon may have slightly different information to give you, depending on what happens at your particular hospital.
Do ask your GP, the hospital doctor who is in charge of your care, or a member of the nursing staff if there is anything you do not understand. No question is too trivial, particularly if it concerns something that is worrying you.

While in the bath recently, I was able to feel a small lump in my breast, but a couple of days later it seemed to have disappeared. Should I do anything about it, or ‘leave well alone’?
It is always better to seek your doctor’s advice if you are concerned about a change in your breast. The breasts do tend to become lumpy before and during a menstrual period, and it is therefore best to examine them 7 to 10 days after the start of a period. It could well be that what you felt was a normal cyclical change. However, do ask your doctor to examine you to put your mind at rest, and so that any necessary tests can be arranged.

I do not like feeling my breasts, but worry that by not doing so I am risking missing any small lump that could develop. Is there an alternative to this sort of breast examination?
Many women feel as you do, and the effective alternative is to examine your breasts regularly by looking at them. If you get used to their normal appearance, you should be able to detect any change which may be a sign of something wrong. Look particularly at their shape, for any discharge from the nipples, and any changes in the surface of the skin such as dimpling. Examining your breasts for any visible signs of disease can be done in the bath, shower or, for example, when applying deodorant.

A discharge has recently started to leak from one of my nipples. I am afraid to go to my doctor in case this is a sign of cancer. What should I do?
It is important that you make an appointment to see your GP as soon as possible. Although there are various causes of nipple discharge, a blood-stained discharge could be – amongst other things – a sign of breast cancer, and the earlier this is treated the better. A milky or watery discharge could be caused by the use of a contraceptive pill or by recently stopping taking the pill. A greenish or yellowish discharge, possibly blood stained, could be due to a benign condition called duct ectasia which can be treated by the surgical removal of the ducts just under the nipple. Another cause of a blood-stained discharge is a duct papilloma, a benign tumour which can be treated by an operation to remove the affected duct.
Your doctor will probably refer you to a consultant, who may want to arrange for you to have a mammogram to exclude cancer and to discover the reason for your discharge. If the cause is obviously benign, and the discharge is light, you may not need any further treatment. Some women are happy to put up with a slight nipple discharge if they know it has no sinister implications.

I understand that as I am now 65, I am no longer entitled to regular breast screening by mammography under the NHS. Will I have to pay for this to be done privately if I wish to continue with it?
Although you will no longer be called for 3-yearly breast screening, you are still entitled to continue it if you wish to do so. Your GP or someone at the breast screening clinic will be able to tell you how to go about arranging this. You can, of course, have mammography undertaken privately, and your GP will also be able to advise you about this.

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