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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffEvaluation of a fibroadenoma usually begins after you or your doctor has identified a breast lump. The process may involve the following tests or exams:
- Clinical breast exam. Your doctor physically examines the breast lump and checks for any other problem areas in your breasts. Be prepared to answer questions such as when you first noticed the lump, whether it seems to have gotten bigger, if you have any nipple discharge and if you notice any changes in the size of the lump during your menstrual cycle.
- Mammography. Mammography uses a series of X-rays to produce an image (mammogram) of suspicious areas in your breast tissue. A fibroadenoma usually appears on a mammogram as a breast mass with smooth, round edges, distinct from surrounding breast tissue. To evaluate a suspected fibroadenoma, mammograms are routinely performed for women age 30 and older.
- Breast ultrasound. If you're younger than age 30, your doctor may opt for a breast ultrasound instead of a mammogram to evaluate a breast lump. Dense breast tissue in younger women makes mammograms difficult to interpret. Breast ultrasound might also be performed as a follow-up to a mammogram regardless of your age. Breast ultrasound can help your doctor determine whether a breast lump is solid or fluid-filled. A solid mass is more likely a fibroadenoma, and a fluid-filled mass is a cyst. Some doctors, however, opt to skip ultrasound and perform fine-needle aspiration instead.
- Fine-needle aspiration. Through a thin needle inserted into the breast lump, your doctor attempts to withdraw the contents of the breast lump. If no fluid comes out, the lump is solid and most likely a fibroadenoma. A sample of cells may be collected and sent for analysis to check for the presence of cancer (fine-needle aspiration biopsy).
- Core needle biopsy. To be certain that a solid breast lump is a fibroadenoma and not breast cancer, your doctor will probably recommend a biopsy. Core needle biopsy uses a large needle to obtain several tissue samples from the breast lump to send for analysis.
References
- American Cancer Society. Non-Cancerous Breast Conditions. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- Giuliano AE. Breast Disorders (Chapter). In: McPhee SJ, et al, eds. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2009, Forty-Eighth Edition. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies. 20009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=8538. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- Sabel MS. Overview of benign breast disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- National Cancer Institute. Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide For Women. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understanding-breast-changes. Accessed May 18, 20009.
- Fletcher SW et al. Primary care evaluation of breast lumps in adult women, http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- Courtillot C, et al. Benign breast diseases. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 2005; 10:325-335.
- Harris JR et al. Diseases of the breast. Philadelphia, Pa.:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004, p. 45-47.
