Woman needs a more thorough examination of nipple pain

DEAR DR. ROACH » I am a healthy 94-year-old woman. Over the past four months, I have had pain in the nipple of my left breast. I went to my doctor and was told to put hydrocortisone on it twice a day. I did and it didn’t help, but the doctor told me to continue. I saw a gynecologist, who ordered a mammogram, which was negative. I had an ultrasound in November, which was OK, and the doctor wants me to see a surgeon, with no other explanation. I have no idea what this could be, and am upset at the idea of surgery. DEAR READER »

DEAR DR. ROACH » I have what doctors have called fatty tumors on my upper arms and abdomen. I have a new one on the inner side of my forearm. It’s about 2 inches by 3 inches. My grandmother and mother had a similar condition. DEAR READER » Benign fatty tumors are called “lipomas,” and it is not unusual for people to have more than one. They seldom require treatment. I refer patients to a surgeon for removal if the tumor is cosmetically important, causes pain or restricts movement. I also get concerned if the lipoma rapidly changes in size, since a very few of these benign tumors can turn into malignant tumors. The treatment is surgical removal of the entire tumor. Recent reports suggest that liposuction provides excellent results with very little risk for recurrence.

Lipomas do seem to run in families, and there is a rare condition called “familial multiple lipomatosis.”