Small Breast Lump – How Size Can Matter
Many women do breast self-examination because they feel that it is a very important part of their health care. Breast self-examination makes women feel more familiar with their breasts. By finding a breast lump during BSE, a woman can head to the doctor at the soonest possible time and ask if the lump is something that is serious or not.
A small breast lump can often result in extreme panic in women. This should not be the case however, because not every lump in the breast is malignant. It’s important to note, however, that one should not ignore a lump in the breast, no matter how big or small. It is very important that a woman visit her doctor for further assessment regardless of whether the lump is 15 centimeters big or less.
Generally, the size does not matter much at first. But then, the exact instant that the doctor confirms that the small breast lump in your chest is malignant, the size of the lump changes the whole story. After a woman has been confirmed to have breast cancer, a series of imaging exams will have to be performed. Mammograms, ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs will usually be performed in order to know the size and location of the lump. The size of the breast lump is an important part of staging breast cancer. Having said that, you need to know for sure what the “actual” size of your tumor is – no matter how big or small it is.
According to studies, the smaller the tumor, the greater the possibility of breast cancer survival. Researchers found out that sixty-one percent of breast cancer survivors have relatively smaller lumps compared to the other thirty-percent percent. A small breast lump has a lower possibility of spreading to adjacent structures, such as the chest wall, nearby bones, and axillary lymph nodes. What is more, studies also reveal that in women 65 years and older with early stage breast cancer, the shift in tumor size accounted for almost all of the improvement in survival.
Again, not every lump that you identify is malignant. In fact, the vast majority of breast lumps are benign. This, however, should not make any woman complacent about the situation. Going to the doctor is very important, no matter how big or small the breast lump is.