Cancer / Question
Published: September 26, 2001
Dear TeenHealthFX,
My daughter is sure she has breast cancer. She has rather small breasts and they are both very lumpy. One is smaller than the other is. However, it is the right one and she is right handed. A lot of the time her breast looks swollen like they hurt. She is 16 years old. Is this normal? I told her I thought those were just the milk glands that we could feel. On the smaller side you can almost feel a muscle. Does she need to see a doctor?
Signed: Daughter With Breast Cancer
Dear Daughter With Breast Cancer,
TeenHealthFX cannot diagnose whether or not your daughter has breast cancer and so to be safe you should consult a doctor. This will provide your daughter an opportunity to be evaluated. It is not uncommon for a woman to have one breast larger than another and some women do have lumpy breasts. As your daughter is 16 years old, she is still growing and her breasts may be tender until they are fully developed.
It is not possible to determine this yourself so please make sure that she sees a doctor. Breast cancer at your daughter's age is not common so there is no reason to be extremely alarmed. However, it is always good to be safe and have everything checked by a professional.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
In the 
