As you enter adolescence and adolescence, it is natural for your breasts to change. Increasing and decreasing female hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, may make your breasts sensitive and sore. It may also cause you to feel lumps or bumps in your breasts every month you menstruate. But can these lumps and bumps be cancer? Girls 14 years of age or younger are almost certainly more likely to get breast cancer. Adolescent girls are slightly more likely to have breast cancer as they move through adolescence and adolescence, but breast cancer is still very rare in adolescents, with only one in 1 million adolescent populations developing breast cancer.
Types of mass
Most breast lumps in adolescent girls are fibroadenomas. Overgrowth of connective tissue in the breast leads to fibroadenoma, which is a non-cancerous mass.
This mass is usually hard and rubbery and you can move it with your fingers. Fibroadenomas make up 91% of all solid breast masses in girls under 19 years of age.
Other less common breast masses in adolescents include cysts, which are sacs full of noncancerous fluid. Strong blows or damage to breast tissue that is likely to occur when falling or exercising can cause these lumps.
Age of breast cancer in adolescent girls
Girls 14 years of age or younger are more likely to get breast cancer. According to data published in oncology seminars, researchers estimate that 80% of girls with breast cancer between the ages of 15 and 19 will be alive five years from now.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer in Adolescents
Breast cancer tumors can be different from other natural lumps that you feel in your breast. Here are some things that may indicate that a lump is cancerous:
It is hard (hard mass in the baby's chest).
It appears to be attached to the chest wall and is fixed and does not move around.
It is about the size of a pea to the width of a finger.
It may be painful.
Causes of Breast Cancer in Adolescents
Doctors are still not quite sure what causes breast cancer in teens because there are so few cases. In general, cancer agents in children are thought to occur due to changes in cells and DNA that occur in the early years of life. These changes may occur even while you are still in the womb.
Pediatric cancers have nothing to do with environmental or lifestyle factors such as smoking or unhealthy diets. But if you develop these unhealthy behaviors in the early years of life, it can increase the risk of breast cancer at an older age.
Risk factors for breast cancer in adolescents
Research on adolescent breast cancer is limited. But the main risk factors seem to include a family history of the disease and the presence of abnormalities in the breast, such as a certain type of fibroadenoma.
Exposure to radiation to treat diseases such as leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during breast growth years has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer in adolescents. Growth generally takes 20 years, when a person becomes an adult.
Diagnosis of breast cancer in adolescents
If you have an unusual feeling in your breast, see a doctor as soon as possible. After the breast exam, your doctor will ask you about the following:
Your family medical history
When you discovered the mass
That you have nipple discharge
That the mass is painful
If something looks or feels suspicious, your doctor may recommend an ultrasound. In this test, sound waves are used to examine your breasts. Ultrasound can help determine if a lump is solid, which is a sign of cancer.
If the lump is full of fluid, it most likely indicates a cyst. Your doctor may also insert a very fine needle into the mass to remove the tissue and test it for cancer.
Should girls have mammograms?
Mammography is not recommended for teens for two reasons:
1. A teenage girl's breasts are dense, making it difficult for a mammogram to detect lumps.
2. Mammography exposes the breasts to radiation, which can lead to cell damage, especially in small, growing breasts.
Treatment of breast cancer in adolescents
The most common type of breast cancer found in adolescents is secretory adenocarcinoma. It is generally a slow-growing, non-invasive type of cancer. Although the risk of spreading this type of cancer to other parts of the body is low, several cases have been reported to spread to surrounding lymph nodes. For treatment, doctors surgically remove the cancer and remove as little breast tissue as they can.
Physicians occasionally consider chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The risks of these treatments for the growing body of adolescents may outweigh the benefits. Also, depending on the type of treatment and its duration, they can affect your fertility and increase the risk of other cancers.
Breastfeeding is still possible in the years after breast or nipple surgery. But some women may produce less milk than others.
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