Accessory Nipple Cancer....Seen it?

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by emily_mom
Nov 12, '02   Views: 11,077   Comments: 10

  1. We had a woman that came in with accessory nipple cancer last night. She didn't even know that she had one. Her Mom always told her it was a mole and only after cancer was discovered did she admit she knew what it was. What a disservice she did to her daughter, as it has metastasized and things don't look good (stage IV).

    What I want to know is have any of you ever seen this? What does it look like at birth? I looked at one of my nursing books and it just shows the lines they normally run to(from nipples to pubic area). This is just crazy...
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    Joined: Jul '02; Posts: 3,872; Likes: 18

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  3. by Q.
    Nov 12, '02
    Occupation: Patient Education Specialty: 7 year(s) of experience in LDRP; Education ; Joined: Mar '01; Posts: 7,470; Likes: 56
    I've seen accessory nipples several times in my career, and typically they are located on the breast or abdomen, but they usually look like just that..a nipple.

    A friend of mine has a third nipple and it's actually functional. I have never heard of nipple specific cancer, though.
  4. by emily_mom
    Nov 12, '02
    Joined: Jul '02; Posts: 3,872; Likes: 18
    The doc said that it was possible, as some have breast tissue underneath. He said that those that have this should do monthly BSE's just like the other two. Weird though, huh?
  5. by cactus wren
    Nov 12, '02
    Occupation: icu rn Joined: Jun '02; Posts: 985; Likes: 11
    My eldest daughter has an extra niple in her underarm area. We never thought twice about it, except it was a mole....until she had her first baby....and had milk there,too.... She thought it was kinda fun...could squirt you with it..... Milk bath anyone? Thanks for the info....will ask her if she checks it when she does monthly BSE...
  6. by Genista
    Nov 12, '02
    Occupation: Registered Nurse From: US ; Joined: Nov '99; Posts: 829; Likes: 166
    I have never seen accessory nipple cancer. However, I do have a supernumary nipple! Mine is located a few inches under my left breast, and it is very tiny like a small mole. However, if you look closely, it is really a tiny nipple. There is no obvious breast tissue there that I can see. It's actually a quirky kind of thing to have. Nearly every health practicioner that I see gets excited when they see it. LOL! Apparently, these "extra" nipples can come in all shapes and sizes. I saw a slide show in nursing school given by a lactation consultant, and she discussed accessory nipples. Most people that have them, she said, have the tiny ones that look like a small mole. And yes, some of them will produce milk when a woman becomes pregnant. Good point, though, we still need to examine this area too, even if it is super small.
  7. by Sue D
    Nov 14, '02
    Occupation: Registered Nurse Joined: Apr '01; Posts: 23
    Working in Plastics I have seen this many times. Mostly we remove accessory nipples because of the increased cancer risk.
    Uncommonly we see it in men also. A recent patient had SIX accessory nipples extending down the body.
  8. by emily_mom
    Nov 14, '02
    Joined: Jul '02; Posts: 3,872; Likes: 18
    We never learned about it in school, but after seeing it, I found it in my med/surg book. It kinda freaked me out, so I was checking myself to see if I had any. Do you know how common it is?
  9. by Genista
    Nov 14, '02
    Occupation: Registered Nurse From: US ; Joined: Nov '99; Posts: 829; Likes: 166
    For those who are interested, I found this on a web search:
    http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic735.htm

    Some interesting pics there, too
  10. by kittyw
    Nov 14, '02
    Occupation: RN, MSN student Joined: Mar '02; Posts: 1,223; Likes: 1
    I have a mole in my left axillary area .... just checked .... it's just a mole.

    :chuckle
  11. by sanakruz
    Nov 14, '02
    Joined: Oct '02; Posts: 1,079; Likes: 53
    I have seen two woman with three breasts in my career. The breasts were healthy. Then again one out of ten of us will get breast cancer...
  12. by emily_mom
    Nov 15, '02
    Joined: Jul '02; Posts: 3,872; Likes: 18
    Originally posted by kittyw
    I have a mole in my left axillary area .... just checked .... it's just a mole.

    :chuckle

    Did you want one more for your honey to play with? :roll


    Thanks for the site....gonna go check it out right now.

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