Usually painless, fibroadenomas can vary in
size and might feel like a marble in your breast, moving under the skin when
touched. Among the most common breast lumps in young women, fibroadenomas are a
bit of a puzzle in that they can get bigger or even shrink on their own (due to
hormonal changes). The first step is discovery, which can take place during a woman’s
normal showering routine or through a brief self-examination. A more proactive,
clinical way of diagnosing a fibroadenoma is via an imaging test like a
mammogram, ultrasound, or MRI. Your doctor will, most likely, recommend one of
these imaging tests to confirm that the lump is, indeed, a fibroadenoma.
So how do you deal with a fibroadenoma once
discovered? If the fibroadenoma is small and painless, and remains the same
size, you would not need any treatment. Often, fibroadenomas can be left alone
and no treatment is necessary. They are,
usually, just monitored with follow-up ultrasounds. If however, the
fibroadenoma is large, painful, or growing, and your doctor advises treatment,
options can include monitoring to detect changes in their size or feel, a
biopsy, surgical removal, or cryoablation, an FDA-approved treatment as an
alternative to surgery. Cryoablation is a long-established, effective procedure
for destroying these types of breast tumors that usually takes between 5 and 15
minutes. After a local anesthetic is applied, a thin hollow needle (called a
“cryoprobe”) is used to circulate cooled, thermally conductive fluids which
destroy the offensive surrounding tissue (the frozen tissue is absorbed within
months). Since no tissue is removed, the shape of your breast will not be affected.
Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology is the only outpatient
facility on Long Island performing cryoablation, leading the way in breast imaging. For more information, click Cryoablation or call (631)225-7200 ext. 4642 to speak to our radiologist, Dr. Guy Bassis. For a
ZPR office nearest you, click locations & directions.
