Is a painful breast lump suggestive of breast cancer?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have a lump in my breast that is painful. It is on the right breast, under the underarm. I was given vitamin E medicine, and I was told to get an ultrasound and FNAC. I have attached both my reports. The reports say FNAC smear prepared from the right breast reveals abundant neutrophils, admixed with a few lymphocytes and some foamy macrophages. A few groups and sheets of benign ductal epithelial cells with apocrine changes in some of them are noted. Nuclear crowding and nuclear overlapping are also seen in some of these ductal cells. No granuloma or atypical cells are noted. Acute suppurative lesion of the right breast. Could you please tell me if the reports are suggestive of breast cancer?

Kindly advise.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

As per your FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology) reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity), the lesion looks suggestive of a breast abscess and not suggestive of breast cancer. But FNAC is not confirmatory. Your ultrasound report was not attached. You need a mammogram and an ultrasound. The lesion in the breast needs to be scored using BI-RADS (breast imaging reporting and data system). For now, I think you should be treated with a course of antibiotics, and a mammogram and ultrasound should be done after two weeks. Please meet a surgeon to get an antibiotic prescription. They may also aspirate the lesion for culture. The suggested antibiotics are:

1. Capsule Ampiclox (Ampicillin 500 mg and Cloxacillin 500 mg) 1 g, three times daily for a week.

2. Tablet Pantop (Pantoprazole) 40 mg, once daily for a week.

3. Tablet Perinorm (Metoclopramide) 10 mg, three times daily for a week.

Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with him or her, and start taking the medicines after their consent. Please share the reports after two weeks. Are you breastfeeding? That could explain why you have an abscess. A breast abscess can occur even without breastfeeding but it is a risk factor. Also please check your sugars if not checked recently.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you want some help.

Thank you.