Most often than not, a "thing" or "cause for concern" on a mammogram is just that - something that warrants a second look to be sure it isn't serious.
A mammogram is a relatively crude tool - it's limited to detecting masses of tissue. Could be cysts, could be scars, could be tumours (and not all tumour are cancerous). Could just be plain ole "lumpy breasts".
The radiologist or physician will usually want to have another look to rule out more serious conditions. An ultrasound gives a better (but still not precise) picture, and a bioposy can identify for certain the nature of the tissue.
1 cm is a large mass, and generally speaking, few cancers grow that fast.
(Assuming your friend gets yearly mammograms).
In short, its far more likely to NOT be cancer.
Getting called in for a second mammogram, an ultrasound or a biopsy is an alarming thing for a woman, no matter how many people tell her its likely nothing or that the doctors just want a closer look. In the back of our minds, we all know it could be cancer, and that's a frightening thing think about.
The most useful advice I could offer is, do what you can to help your friend take her mind off it. Try to help her stay off the net researching the results, the tests, cancers, and latest advancements in cancer treatment. In my experience it only fuels the sense of fear and doesn't provide relevant information anyway.
Hoping that this turns out to be a whole lot of nothing for your friend.
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