Say what?
Say it with me… Fi – Bro – A – Den – O – Ma… Fibroadenoma.
Fibroadenomas are benign, non-cancerous, breast tumors. Fibroadenoma means “a tumor composed of glandular (related to gland) and fibrous (containing fibers) tissues.” Fibroadenomas can occur alone, in groups or as a complex.
While doing your regular breast self-exam, you may feel a breast fibroadenoma. These feel firm, round, smooth, rubbery, and are movable. They may feel tender, especially right before your period, when it may swell due to hormonal changes. While some types of breast lumps come and go during the menstrual cycle, fibroadenomas typically do not disappear after a woman’s period, and should be checked by a doctor.
Fibroadenomas range in size from one to five centimeters (0.39 inches to nearly two invest). Giant fibroadenomas can be the size of a small lemon, about 15 centimeters (5.9 inches).
Fibroadenoma tumors are not fixed to the adjacent skin, muscle, or lymph nodes, so they are mobile within the breast on palpation.
A fibroadenoma is usually diagnosed through clinical examination, ultrasound, mammography and often a biopsy sample of the lump. On a mammogram, fibroadenomas appear as round or oval smooth-edged masses. The outline of the mass will be clearly defined, not blurry. Sometimes they are accompanied by coarse calcifications. Fibroadenomas can look like cysts or a well-contained tumor.
When the doctor takes a complete medical history, they will ask when the lump was first noticed, if there were any symptoms or changes in lump size, and if there is any personal or family history of breast disease. The doctor thoroughly feels the breasts (palpates). Your doctor may send you to have an ultrasound study done by a radiologist. This is because a fibroadenoma will be easier to distinguish from other tissue, because of the way it responds to sound waves. It will appear as a dark area, with a definite outline, homogeneous, round or oval, and may have smooth-edged bumps. If the ultrasound doesn’t give a definite result, the next study may be an MRI (magnetic resonance image). The most conclusive test is the surgical removal of cells or tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist which may be done as a fine needle biopsy or a core needle biopsy.
Since firbroadenoas are benign, treatment will vary depending on your diagnosis. If it is small, painless, remains the same size, and a biopsy shows no problems, you would not need further treatment, but may have follow-up ultrasounds. However, if it is large, more than three cm, painful, growing, or a biopsy results in atypical, very active, cells, you can have it surgically removed. Doctors recommend removal if you are over 40 years old. No medications are used for the treatment of fibroadenoma.
The exact cause of fibroadenomas is unknown. They seem to be influenced by estrogen, because they appear most often in premenopausal or pregnant women, or in women who are postmenopausal and taking HRT, hormone replacement therapy. Most fibroadenomas come and go during your menstrual cycle, when your hormone levels are changing.
These are most common in women who are from 15 to 30 years old and in pregnant women. Fibroadenomas occur in 10% of all women, but in 20% of African-American women. About 10% of all fibroadenomas will disappear over time, and 20% of them will recur. If they don’t disappear, they usually stop growing when they reach 2-3 cm.
A fibroadenoma is not commonly associate with fibrocystic breast disease and has no known links to cancer.
These eyes of blue are thankful for good news!
