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Could constant breast pain be a sign of cancer?

Dr N Ananthakrishnan
Head of Department of Surgery,
JIPMER, Pondicherry

Q: My wife had an accident 6-7 months back in which she had pressure on her breast. Following this she has continous pain on the lower part of the right breast. The intensity of the pain is not high but it is constant. We met a cancer surgeon who advised mammography which was not necessary but was required to rule out the possiblity of breast cancer. This was negative. Now the doctor says that this might be due to Vitamin E deficiency. She is taking these pills but there is no change in her condition. What should we do?

A:Breast pain in young women is not uncommon and may be related to hormonal fluxes which are normal in that age. Since the mammogram is normal you need not be afaid of the problem of cancer. There are many effective medicines todeal with the problem of breast pain. Vitamin E is only one of them. There are other medicines such as evening primrose oil, hormones etc. You need to be examined by a surgeon or a gynecologist who will give you the proper advice.