I didn't mean to sound glib. Every breast lump deserves to be diagnosed. Yes, she had been examined and mammogrammed and ultrasounded. The surgeon had wanted to take it out (with circumareolar incision!) without doing any further diagnostic workup to see whether it really needed to come out. Certainly, many premenopausal breast cancers fall "out of" the risk groups, and are often more aggressive. But, in general, premenopausal lumps aren't usually cancer. Fine needle biopsies are done under local anesthesia, in the doctor's office, and aren't generally any more painful than an immunization. Baby can nurse right before (good if he does, when doing one on a lactating breast, because there will be less glandular tissue in the way) and as soon as five minutes after. Any suspicious or inconclusive result is grounds for an excisional biopsy (through a radial incision to preserve ductal structure, of course). Becky Saenz, MD Assistant Professor University of MS Medical Center Department of Family Medicine [log in to unmask]