Question:

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer over 10 yrs ago.  I am 25 years old and have thsi throbbing pain in my left breast. Sometimes it`s verfy painful. Others it`s not as bad, but still noticible.  I was told I`m too young for breast cancer, and that breast cancer isn`t painful.  Is this true, and should I be worried. 

Answer:

There is not quite enough information here for a great answer, but I will do my best! Your mother was likely fairly young when she developed breast cancer making your risk for developing the disease a bit higher. Also, though you are “too young for breast cancer”, there are uncommon cases of breast cancer in the very young, like you. Please see a breast surgeon, gynecologist or your family doctor. You should have a mammogram (even though they are usually non-informative in the very young) and likely a breast ultrasound. If there is a strong family history of breast cancer in addition to your mother you should have a cancer genetics consultation to see if testing for the BRCA gene is indicated. It is correct that breast cancer is usually not painful– evaluation is still a good idea.

For more information:

Go to the Breast Cancer health topic.