“Mammary gland appears bump, be breast cancer?”
In the field of women’s health, breast problems have always attracted much attention. When a lump is found in the breast, many women often fall into extreme worry, and the terrible word “breast cancer” immediately comes to mind. But in fact, breast lumps do not necessarily mean breast cancer, so let’s discuss the reasons in detail.
1. Common causes
of breast mass 1. Mammary gland hyperplasia
Mammary gland hyperplasia is one of the most common breast diseases, and it is also a common factor leading to breast mass. It is mainly caused by the imbalance of endocrine hormones such as estrogen and progesterone in women. Under the influence of the menstrual cycle, breast tissue will undergo periodic hyperplasia and involution with the fluctuation of hormone levels. When hyperplasia is excessive and involution is not complete, it is easy to form breast mass. This kind of lump is usually soft or medium hardness, the size will change with the menstrual cycle, generally before menstruation, the lump may increase, harden, accompanied by pain, and after menstruation, the lump will often shrink, soften, and the pain will be reduced.
2. Breast fibroadenoma
Breast fibroadenoma occurs mostly in young women and is a benign tumor composed of glandular epithelium and fibrous tissue. Its occurrence is related to the relatively high level of estrogen in women. The lump formed by breast fibroadenoma is usually characterized by clear boundary, smooth surface, hard texture and good activity. It can be pushed freely in the breast and generally grows slowly. In most cases, it will not cause discomfort symptoms such as pain, unless the lump is large enough to oppress the surrounding tissues.
3. Mastitis
Mastitis is common in lactating women, but may also occur in non-lactating women. Lactation mastitis is mainly caused by milk siltation and bacterial infection. Milk siltation makes the mammary duct blocked, which provides a good environment for bacteria to breed, thus triggering inflammation and forming lumps. This kind of lump is often accompanied by swelling, pain, fever and other symptoms, and abscess may occur in severe cases. Morbidity causes of non-lactation mastitis are relatively complex, which may be related to mammary duct ectasia, autoimmune factors, etc. The mass will also have pain, local fever and other manifestations, but the specific situation may be different from lactation mastitis.
4. Breast cyst
Breast cysts are caused by the accumulation of milk or secretion in the duct due to the obstruction of the breast duct. It can be single shot or multiple shot. The lump formed by breast cyst is usually round or oval, with clear boundary, soft texture, cystic sex, and no obvious pain symptoms in most cases, but if the cyst is large or infected, there may also be pain, tenderness and other manifestations.
2. Relationship
between breast cancer and breast mass Breast cancer does manifest as a lump in the breast, but there are some differences between it and the lump caused by the benign disease mentioned above.
Breast cancer lumps tend to be hard, with less clear boundaries and poor mobility, and may adhere to surrounding tissues such as skin and pectoral muscles. Moreover, lumps are usually painless and may not be easily detected in the early stage. With the development of the disease, there may be nipple discharge (such as bloody discharge), nipple depression, orange peel-like changes in breast skin (skin depression similar to orange peel), axillary lymph node enlargement and other accompanying symptoms. However, it should be noted that these symptoms do not occur in every breast cancer patient at the same time, some patients may only show breast mass, which increases the difficulty of early diagnosis.
In addition, the growth rate of breast cancer masses is generally relatively fast, which is different from that of benign diseases such as breast hyperplasia with the change of menstrual cycle. However, we should also know that not all hard and ill-defined masses are necessarily breast cancer, and some benign diseases may have similar manifestations under special circumstances, which need further examination to make a definite diagnosis.
3. Measures
to deal with breast lumps Don’t panic when you find a lump in your breast. Here are some correct steps to deal with it:
1. Self-examination
First of all, calm down and carefully self-examine the breast again. It can be done 7-10 days after the end of menstruation, because the breasts are relatively soft at this time, and it is easier to find abnormalities. During the examination, standing and supine positions can be used to gently touch the various areas of the breast with finger pulp, including the areola, around the nipple and the upper, lower, upper and lower quadrants of the breast, to feel whether there is a lump, as well as the size, texture, boundary and activity of the lump, and to pay attention to the appearance of the breast. Whether there are skin changes, nipple discharge and other phenomena.
2. Seek medical treatment
in time After self-examination finds a lump, no matter what the condition of the lump is, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. Doctors usually conduct detailed inquiries to understand the patient’s age, menstrual history, reproductive history, family history and other relevant information, and then conduct physical examination, focusing on breast and axillary lymph nodes.
3. Further inspection
In order to determine the nature of the lump, the doctor usually orders a series of further tests. Common inspection items include:
Breast ultrasound: This is a very common method of examination, especially for young women. It can clearly show the internal structure of breast tissue, determine whether the mass is solid or cystic, understand the size, shape, boundary, internal echo of the mass, and so on, which is very helpful to identify the nature of breast mass.
Mammography: It is mainly suitable for women over 40 years old. It can detect some early breast cancer lesions, such as micro-calcification, and also observe the shape, size, location and other information of the mass by X-ray imaging of the breast.
Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): MRI can provide more detailed and accurate image information for some cases that are difficult to be diagnosed by ultrasound and mammography, especially for the evaluation of the extent of breast mass and the presence of multifocal lesions.
Fine needle aspiration biopsy: This is the key test to confirm the nature of the breast mass. Doctors will use a fine needle to extract a small amount of tissue from the lump, and then send it to the pathology department for microscopic observation to determine whether the lump is benign or malignant.
4. Suggestions
for preventing breast lumps and breast cancer Although breast lumps are not necessarily breast cancer, prevention is essential to maintain breast health.
1. Healthy lifestyle
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is fundamental to preventing breast problems. To achieve a reasonable diet, eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other nutrient-rich foods, reduce the intake of high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt foods; moderate exercise, at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise, such as fast walking, jogging, swimming, etc., exercise can help regulate endocrine and promote metabolism; Smoking cessation and alcohol restriction, smoking and excessive drinking can have adverse effects on breast health.
2. Regular breast examination
Regular breast examination is an important means of early detection of breast problems. For the average woman, it is recommended to have a monthly breast self-examination from the age of 20; women aged 20-39 should have a clinical breast examination every three years; women over the age of 40 should have a breast molybdenum target examination every year, and at the same time, breast ultrasound and other examination methods can be combined according to the specific situation.
3. Endocrine
control Because many breast diseases are related to endocrine disorders, we should pay attention to endocrine control. Women should maintain a good state of mind and avoid long-term tension, anxiety, depression and other negative emotions, because these emotions will affect the secretion of hormones. In addition, attention should be paid to avoid long-term use of cosmetics and health products containing estrogen, in order to prevent breast problems caused by high estrogen levels in the body.
4. Breastfeeding
For women after childbirth, breastfeeding has great benefits for breast health. Breastfeeding can promote the patency of breast ducts, reduce the risk of milk siltation, thereby reducing the incidence of breast diseases such as mastitis, and also play a positive role in the prevention of breast cancer to a certain extent.
In short, when breast lumps are found, do not panic blindly, but take the right measures calmly. Breast mass has a variety of possible causes, in most cases is not breast cancer, but also can not be taken lightly, through timely examination and diagnosis, clear the nature of the mass, do a good job of prevention, in order to better maintain breast health.
Mammary gland hyperplasia Breast cyst
