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The only thing that worries me now is that the initial fatigue that I began feeling in late Nov./early Dec. has not gone away.

The last month I have gone crazy attributing things to cancer; I have a slight ache, cancer; a cough, cancer; tiredness, cancer.

History

• Patients typically present with a firm, mobile, well-circumscribed, nontender breast mass.
• A small mass may rapidly increase in size in the few weeks before the patient seeks medical attention.
• Tumors rarely involve the nipple-areola complex or ulcerate to the skin.
• Patients with metastases may present with such symptoms as dyspnea, fatigue, and bone pain.

Physical

• A firm, mobile, well-circumscribed, nontender breast mass is appreciated.
• Curiously, cystosarcoma phyllodes tends to involve the left breast more commonly than the right one.
• Overlying skin may display a shiny appearance and be translucent enough to reveal underlying breast veins.
• Physical findings (ie, the occurrence of mobile masses with distinct borders) are similar to those of fibroadenoma.⁵
• Phyllodes tumors generally manifest as larger masses and display rapid growth.
• Mammographic findings (ie, the appearance of round densities with smooth borders) are also similar to those of fibroadenoma.
• Recurrent malignant tumors seem to be more aggressive than the original tumor.
• The lungs are the most common metastatic site, followed by the skeleton, heart, and liver.
• Symptoms from metastatic involvement usually arise in a few months but may occur as late as 12 years after the initial therapy.
• Most patients with metastases die within 3 years of the initial treatment.⁴
• No cures exist for systemic metastases.
• Roughly 30% of patients with malignant phyllodes tumors die from the disease.

Causes

The etiology of cystosarcoma phyllodes is unknown.