January 2008

Q. My name is Rafaela,I'm 20 year old brazilian student. Today afternoon I was watching Oprah's show and I saw your enterview about Rene's case. I have a very similar problem. In april 2004 I got under a breast reduction, one year later I found out that my breast were producing some kind of tumors,of the not dangerous type. In spite of the pain,I didn´t want to get under another surgery,and this was also the doctor's opinion. I had two others "not dangerous tumors" during my adolescense,the both of them in my neck. This sitution really gets me worried.I'd love if you could give me your opinion,because I'm thinking about do the same thing Rene did. I wat to live and not to survive.

A. Thank you for writing to me. Rene had a very strong family history of breast cancer including a father with breast cancer. This is very unusual and placed her at very high risk. Her decision to have surgery to give her peace of mind made sense for her. I presume you do not have a family history of breast cancer which is good. The "tumors" or breast tissue in a 20 year old woman before having children is almost always very dense and growing tissue which is normal and means nothing is wrong or unusual. It is always good to keep track of your family history of cancers, let your doctors know your history, and after you have a family (if you plan to) or as you approach age 35-40 I would talk to your doctors again - maybe an ultrasound or breast MRI would be a good way to be checked periodically once you hit that age. In the meantime - always knowing your body and paying attention makes sense.