Q: I am a 26 yrs. old married girl. Some months back I noticed a lump in my left breast. It is on the top centre of the breast. My mother and her families side does not have any history of breast cancer. Out of curiosity and tension, me and my husband met a gynaecologist in a hospital and the doctor examined my breast. She advised that there was nothing to worry about and refered me to a surgeon (just to take his opinion). After showing to the surgeon, the surgeon asked me to get a test done. I dont remember the name of the test but in it a sample tissue was taken from my left breast by using a needle and then it was analysed. The result of the test was that the lump was benign and nothing to worry about. So, the surgeon said that there was nothing to worry about. The lump was not cancerous and he just asked me to monitor any change in the look, feel and position of the lump. He said that if the lump was left there in my body, it would be of no harm and in case I didnt wanted the lump in my body then the only other way was surgical extraction of the lump (which I am not ready for). He also advised that just for the sake of maintaining history I should take the Mammogram test which will store the present formation of my breast in case a reference of it is needed later on.But I didnt got the time to undergo the test. Please advise that what should I do?

A:Breast lumps may be cancerous or noncancerous. Noncancerous breast lumps are common, cancers are infrequent. However, because cancers have a serious implication, all breast lumps should be removed. Lumps are first usually tested for cancer(the test is called fine needle aspiration cytology, or FNAC). Even if the test shows that the lump is noncancerous, it should be removed if it can definitely be felt. The reason is that the test (FNAC) has an accuracy of only about 95%. In about 5 of 100 persons, therefore, the cancer will be missed. The chance is not worth taking. The vast majority of surgeons (including me) advise removal of breast lumps, whether cancerous or not.