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Find out from Dr. Harness what to do if you discover a lump in your breast. Dr. Jay Harness introduces himself and explains what a woman should do if she finds a lump in her breast. Jay K. Harness is the former President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and the Medical Director of the St. Joseph Hospital Comprehensive Breast Center.
Dr. Harness:
I am Jay Harness, I am surgical oncologist and I am a surgeon who specializes in benign and malignant diseases of the breast.
If you found a lump in your breast the most important thing to do is to go and see your primary care physician promptly. Typically, the primary care physician will order a diagnostic mammogram, meaning there is something specifically wrong with the breast so that the radiologist can really focus on that area. Often that mammogram is combined with an ultrasound examination.
Things to be aware of are that digital mammograms are better than the older analog mammograms. Secondly, you do not need to worry about the radiation dose that you are getting, it's frankly smaller than if you get on an airplane and fly part way across the United States. Thirdly, and really importantly, a negative mammogram does not mean that you are okay. You may need to be referred on to a breast surgeon or you may need some sort of minimally invasive biopsy of that lump in your breast, but please remember that a negative mammogram does not rule out something bad in the breast.
About Dr. Harness. M.D.:
Dr. Jay Harness is the Director at St. Joseph Hospital Comprehensive Breast Center. Practicing medicine for 35 years, Dr. Harness specializes in general surgery and medical oncology. Graduating medical school from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he conducting his internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Recognized nationally and internationally for his work in breast and endocrine surgery, Dr. Harness is the immediate past-President of The American Society of Breast Surgeons and is President-elect of Breast Surgery International. Dr. Harness can assist patients in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
View Dr. Harness Videos:
https://www.empowher.com/dr.harness
Visit Dr. Harness at St. Joseph Hospital