It’s a problem for young women: non-cancerous lumps in the breasts that can cause a lot of pain. But instead of surgically removing them, 7’s Diana Diaz shows us how a new procedure is helping “freeze the pain” away.
WSVN — When 33-year-old Tiffany Mundo discovered a painful lump in her right breast, panic set in.
Tiffany Mundo: “I do have a history of breast cancer in my family. My grandmother had it twice, so I was very concerned when I started having pain.”
Thankfully, tests would show the 33-year-old has something called a fibroadenoma, which is basically a benign lump.
Dr. Cassann Blake, Breast Surgical Oncologist at Cleveland Clinic: “It’s a mass that grows in the breast. It’s pretty common. Up to 10 percent of women have it. They don’t cause or become cancerous.”
Tiffany Mundo: “I felt much better to know it wasn’t cancerous.”
Tiffany was glad it wasn’t cancer, but it still hurt.
Tiffany Mundo: “The pain I was having was disruptive to my everyday life … It was hard for me to lay down, go to the gym, simple motions of my arm rubbing against that area.”
She was told she could surgically remove the mass, which could leave a scar or opt for a quick, in-office procedure that uses a new machine called the IceSense3 to freeze the lump.
Dr. Cassann Blake: “This is not a cancerous growth, so if there is a way of taking care of it without leaving a scar on someone’s breast, then I think that is a fantastic option.”
The procedure is pretty cool, doctors use ultrasound to find the center of the fibroadenoma and then use a probe to freeze it like an ice cube.
Dr. Cassann Blake: “Liquid nitrogen is what’s going to drop the temperature in the area and create the ice … It’s basically killing the cells in the area.”
After about six months, the mass will dissolve naturally in the body, which means the pain will melt away too, something Tiffany is excited about.
Tiffany Mundo: “Once I’m healed, I’m looking forward to getting back to the gym.”
The Cleveland Clinic is one of the first in South Florida to get this machine.
But the procedure is not for everyone. It cannot be used on a mass that is too small or too close to the skin.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.icecure-medical.com
Dr. Cassann Blake
Breast Surgical Oncologist
Cleveland Clinic Florida
www.clevelandclinicflorida.org or call (954) 659-5000