I also wish there were better diagnostic tools to assess breast lumps in
women's breasts (lactating or not.)    But  the truth is that one of the
biggest risks to women is underdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of breast
cancer.  It's certainly the largest area of malpractice litigation.  The
literature describes "doctor distraction" by other factors as a big reason
for missed diagnosis.  ie factors such as lactation or pregnancy cause
people to make assumptions about a lump which are inaccurate.  I have yet
another client dealing with this.  She is a deaf lady whom I have helped
with two kids previously.  Last summer her husband discovered a lump in her
breast.  They saw a breast surgeon who dismissed it after doing a mammogram
and ultrasound.  They called me because the lump was not going away, and
there was an induration.  I sent them to a diff. surgeon, who did same
tests, couldn't tell from them, got equivocal results from aspiration
cytology, and decided to biopsy.  The lump was malignant and she underwent
mastectomy.  She has just delivered a 3rd baby, whom I will see tomorrow
evening (she has a sore nipple and is depressed).  She is probably going to
survive to raise this baby -- and her other kids -- thanks to the biopsy.
So I hate it that there are some women who have to undergo surgery for no
good reason (in retrospect) but there surely are women who are lucky someone
pursued a dx.  I refer LCs interested in this subject to look up Ellen
Petok's excellent case series about breast cancer in 5 of her preg. and
lactating clients which was in JHL a few yrs back.

Barbara


Barbara Wilson-Clay BSEd., IBCLC
Private Practice, Austin Texas
Visit the "LactNews-On-Line" Web Page
http://www.jump.net/~bwc/lactnews.html