STORY BYYour world comes crashing down in the one second you hear your frantic 18-year-old daughter shriek, “Mom, I feel a lump!”
Shocked, you think, surely she’s too young to have a breast lump. Surely she’s too young for breast cancer...
As if the teen years aren’t tough enough, adding distinctly “grown-up” problems such as the fear of breast cancer can be overwhelming for daughters and parents.
“This is not a time for panic,” according to Dr. Christine Cocanour, associate professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. “Most lumps in children and teens are not cancerous and are not serious, but this doesn’t mean that a parent should ignore the situation if their daughter does find a breast mass.”
Cocanour says that lumps of any kind are a good reason for a visit to your doctor. “It is natural for parents to worry, but learning the facts of their daughter’s situation is a step in the right direction.”
Most benign breast lumps are caused by fibrocystic changes in the breast, a normal part of the menstrual cycle. These types of lumps are fluid-filled cysts.
The most common type of mass in women under the age of 20 is fibroadenomas, which are harmless benign breast lumps. These lumps are usually smooth, rubbery or hard and they move easily with the breast tissue. Not attached to the surrounding tissue and skin, these lumps are moveable when manipulated by fingers.
Ultrasound is the best diagnostic tool because these lumps and abnormalities have a specific appearance. “We often recommend a core needle biopsy to confirm the diagnosis,” she says. “Unless the lump is causing discomfort or is large enough to cause distortion, there is not a reason to remove every fibroadenoma or cyst.” Mammograms are not usually recommended for women under age 20.
While most breast lumps are benign, it is vital to identify those that are not. When a lump is growing, or is hard, immobile and causing skin deformities, your doctor will suggest a course of action.
“Women of all ages can get breast lumps, but lumps are more common among women during middle age,” she adds. “It may be comforting for a teen and her parent to understand that having a lump as a teen does not increase your chance of getting breast cancer.”
Does the latest trend of teens drinking Frappuccinos raise alarm bells about caffeine’s relation to breast lumps? “There is no conclusive evidence of a link between caffeine consumption and fibrocystic changes in the breast,” says Coconaur, “and when I refer to caffeine, I include all dark colas and chocolate, not just coffee.”
But one fashion trend is a big No-No in Coconaur’s book: “We strongly urge our young patients to avoid body tattoos and body piercing. A nipple ring on a breast or piercing of a tongue can easily lead to infection and pose a risk for Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.”
Any body site can become infected from a piercing or tattoo, but areas that are moist, such as the genitalia and the mouth, or areas that rub against clothing, like the breast, are particularly susceptible.
She emphasizes that all of us, teen girls included, have a responsibility to be proactive when it comes to safeguarding our health.
It is not uncommon for a teen to be too embarrassed—or terrified—to even mention a lump, incorrectly assuming that all lumps are cancerous.
Therefore, the first order of business is to encourage your teen daughter to be aware of any changes in her breast, to know that most lumps are harmless, to conduct a monthly self-exam and to let you know immediately if there is anything unusual.
And you can talk this over with her while you both sip a Frappuccino.
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Dr. Christine Cocanour is an associate professor of surgery with the UT Medical School.
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Eating healthy
reverses metabolic syndrome
Dr. Tasnime Akbaraly of University College London and her colleagues were interested if healthy eating could actually turn-the-tide and reverse metabolic syndrome, which is having 3 or more of the following risk factors: excess abdominal fat; high triglycerides, hypertension, low levels of HDL the “good” cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes. Having metabolic syndrome doubles a persons’ risk of heart disease and greatly increases the odds of developing type 2 diabetes.
The researchers studied 339 British civil servants with metabolic syndrome, and how closely the adhered to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) to see if it could help reverse metabolic syndrome. The AHEI is a set of published nutritional guidelines by the Harvard School of Public Health in 2002 that emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and decreased red meat consumption.
Five years into the study, nearly 50% no longer had metabolic syndrome. People who followed the AHEI guidelines the closest were nearly twice as likely to have reversed their metabolic syndrome. The results of the study were published in Diabetes Care, online July 29, 2010.
Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, an expert on diet and heart health from Tufts University in Boston who was not involved in the study said, "It's not about focusing on individual components of the diet, it's really the whole package, and that becomes important because it means that if one of the components of a healthy diet is to eat more fruits and vegetables, just buying a pill saying that there's a concentrated extract of fruits and vegetables is probably not what's going to help you."
Call and make an appointment with Wellness Coach Sam Hester, CWC, CPT, LWMC, at 713-500-3327. It's confidential and free. For more information on the wellness services provided, visit UT Counseling and WorkLife Services.
