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At a higher risk
at a higher risk / Body & Self-Image / 4:59 PM - Thursday November 23, 2006
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(Female, 22-25) asked:


my grandmother died of breast cancer.
when i was 15, i had a lump the size of a tangerine removed from my left breast but it was benign.
am i at a high risk of getting breast cancer?


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A Thinker (Female, Who Cares?, Who Cares?) answered:

Screenname: italiangypsy


You are at a higher risk. So am I. My mom had the disease when she was 56. I get mammograms every year faithfully & check my breasts every month. I've had several fibroadenomas & cysts over the years. This does NOT increase your chances of getting the disease. I heard this from several doctors. Please don't spend yor life worrying, I did for a long time. To cut your chances of those benign cysts & whatnot curb your caffeine intake (incl. coffee, chocolate, aspirin etc). I do this especially before a mammogram or exam because it will shrink any cysts.

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A Creative (Female, Buffalo, 46-55, Other Profession) answered:

Screenname: kdare


That is something that must be discussed with your doctor. One would think that if he was a good doctor and had thought you high risk that he would have already addressed it with you.

A beningn cyst does not put you at higher risk--I had one removed when I was three. Having a close relative with slightly higher risk puts you at some higher risk, but what you are thinking of is those with a younger mother or siblings who had a type of breast cancer that is highly hereditary. It can be tested for and now the prevention is usually a medication, not prophylactic mastectomy.

My grandmother died of breast cancer and I had a benign growth removed and am not considered high risk by any means. Follow your doctor's orders for how often you should have exams and mamograms and discuss any concerns with him.

For shit's sake people don't get mastectomies because their grandmother died and they had a benign growth.

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