A 33-year-old woman presents with a lump in her right breast that has been present for two weeks. It was detected on self-examination and has continued to enlarge. There is a history of ovarian cancer (mother) but not breast cancer in her family. ExaminationA 2.5-cm diameter lump is found in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast, which is hard and irregular but not fixed to the skin or to deeper tissue. There is also a palpable 1-cm lymph node in the right axilla. Examination of the contralateral breast and axilla is unremarkable.InvestigationsUltrasound: suspicious lump in the right breast; axillary lymph node of normal echogenicity with a prominent vascular hilum. A core biopsy of the breast lump and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the right axillary lymph node is performed.
What to consider in your report:
oIs the history of ovarian cancer relevant in this patient?
oWhy is a core biopsy of the breast lump performed, and FNA of the axillary lymph node?
oWhat clinically useful information is provided by the tissue samples above?
