Benign Breast LumpsBy ZOE of Cashvally.com
How can my doctor tell whether a lump is cancerous?
If a exam, mammogram, or ultrasound turns up a suspicious mass in your breast, you may
want to have a biopsy, a procedure in which a pathologist takes a small tissue sample from the
lump and looks at it under a microscope. That's the only way to tell for sure whether a lump is
cancerous. But remember that 80 percent of all biopsied lumps prove to be benign, or harmless.
If it's not cancer, what could it be?
There are many kinds of completely harmless lumps, as well as some that may slightly
increase your risk for getting cancer in the future and a few that may not be cancer,
but should be removed anyway. Here's a guide to some of the most common ones and what you
should do about them.
Fibrocystic changes
Most lumps are caused by fibrocystic changes, also known as fibrocystic
disease, benign disease, mammary dysplasia, or chronic mastitis. In spite of all the
scary names, this condition is harmless. At least half of all women have it at some point,
usually during their childbearing years.
Some of the lumps are solid and some are fluid-filled cysts. (A cyst may form when one of your
milk ducts becomes blocked.) No one knows what causes these changes in the breasts, but
oestrogen and progesterone, the hormones that control the menstrual cycle, can make lumps or
cysts more prominent or painful during the week before your period begins. You may feel one
lump or many. Some women say their breasts feel like bags of peas; others don't feel the lumps
at all.
These masses usually show up on both mammograms and ultrasound scans. To determine whether a
suspicious lump is fibrocystic rather than cancerous, your doctor may need to do a biopsy. If
the lump is a cyst, the fluid can be drained with a needle and syringe on the spot. (Having
fibrocystic changes can very slightly increase your risk for getting cancer. In rare
cases, the cells from a fibrocystic lump show some precancerous changes called atypical
hyperplasia, an indication that you have a 10 percent chance of getting cancer over the
next ten years. If your results show this, talk to your doctor about how often you should be
having exams and mammograms.)
Not all women have pain or other symptoms as a result of fibrocystic changes. Some who do find
that their symptoms improve when they cut back on caffeine and salt or take diuretics, although
studies have found no benefit from this. Some physicians recommend vitamin E or evening primrose
oil capsules. If your symptoms are severe, ask your doctor about the prescription drugs danazol
and bromocriptine, but be aware that they're expensive and can have serious side effects.
Particularly bothersome lumps that don't respond to any of these treatments can be surgically
removed.
Fibroadenoma
A moveable lump that feels like a marble in your may be a fibroadenoma. This is a benign
mass made up of both connective and glandular tissue (that is, tissue from the milk ducts and
glands). Fibroadenomas are most common in women who are in their twenties and thirties. Some are
too small to feel; others may be several inches across.
Doctors sometimes recommend that you
have this kind of lump surgically removed to make sure that it's not cancerous, even if the
biopsy was negative. Some studies show that women with fibroadenomas have a slightly increased
risk of getting cancer later on.
Phyllodes tumour
Rarely, a lump may turn out to be a phyllodes tumour. Most often benign, this kind of lump also
consists of both connective and glandular tissue, except that the connective-tissue cells may
have started to grow too fast. Most of the time you'll have the lump removed, along with a
roughly one-inch margin of healthy tissue. In very rare cases the lump will be malignant,
and you may need to have your removed.
Intraductal papilloma
If you notice a bloody discharge from your nipple, you may have an intraductal papilloma --
usually a small growth in a milk duct behind the nipple. If the lump isn't large enough to be
felt, a ductogram may be needed. This is a mammogram that's taken after liquid is injected
through the nipple into the milk duct. On the X-ray, the location of the liquid shows whether
the duct contains a mass. A papilloma is usually removed, along with a segment of the milk duct.
Granular cell tumour
A firm, moveable lump measuring half an inch to an inch across may be a granular cell tumour.
These masses are very rare and almost always benign, but should be removed anyway. Having one
doesn't make you more likely to get cancer.
Fat necrosis
A lump that develops after you've had surgery, a injury, or radiation treatment may be
caused by fat necrosis, or scar tissue overlying an area of fatty tissue that has been damaged.
Its firmness makes it difficult to distinguish from cancerous lumps by feel. Sometimes, instead
of forming scar tissue, the damaged fat cells die and release the fat inside, which collects to
form an oil cyst. This can be drained with a needle and syringe.
Lipoma
If a lump is soft and diffuse, it's likely to be a lipoma, a pocket of fat that's become encased
in scar tissue. It can be mistaken for cancer if it's particularly firm, but a biopsy will sort
things out. Lipomas are quite common and aren't dangerous at all. They don't increase your
chances of getting cancer or need to be removed.
Breast screening programme
A new national breast-screening programme "BreastCheck" aimed at reducing cancer deaths in
women aged 50-64 years by 20% was launched recently in Ireland.
Its potential lies in the value of early detection and the subsequent successful treatment of
any cancer.
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