Lumps or lumps in your breasts don't necessarily mean breast cancer. Benign changes in the breasts account for more than 80 percent of the changes detected during self-examination. So if you feel unevenness and lumps in your breasts, don't panic right away, but don't underestimate the problem either. Also, mild changes in the breasts require consultation with a specialist.

Allbreast changes , alsomild changes , should be consulted with your doctor. Even systematic observation of the breasts and regular self-examination of them does not release you from visiting the gynecologist and asking for a palpation (the doctor examines the breasts with his fingers), as well as from performing ultrasound and mammography.

Specialists emphasize that most women who know that they have mild changes in their breasts stop being cautious, which oncologists call oncological vigilance, and this is a serious mistake. Benign lesions require constant monitoring as there is a risk that they may turn into malignant lesions over time. So you have to do research and collect the results to be able to show them at the next visit.

Mild changes in breasts: important self-examination

To know if there are any changes in your breasts, you should systematically examine them yourself.

The diameter of the lump in women who have never examined their breasts themselves is 40 mm. However, in women who perform such an examination every month, only 12 mm. And the smaller the nodule, the greater the chance of a cure.

You have to learn it though. Practicing and getting to know your own breasts allows you to notice the smallest changes in their shape, appearance and structure. It's best to get tested once a month, between the sixth and ninth day of the cycle. If you check your breasts every month, you'll notice even minor changes. Simplifying a bit, it can be assumed that:

  • suspicious lump resembles cartilage on the tip of the nose;
  • the adenomatous tumor can be felt similar to the pea bone of the wrist (it is located on the opposite side of the thumb, in the lower corner of the hand);
  • you can initially recognize cysts by comparing them to the consistency of an eyeball - if you gently touch the eye through the closed eyelid, it will be easier for you to recognize the change in the breast;
  • benign lump usuallyallows the skin to slide freely over it.

However, do not rely only on self-examination. Each diagnosis must be confirmed by a doctor. This is important for your safety.

Breast cancer prevention - what should you know?

Gentle changes in breasts

Over 80 percent The changes that can be felt during breast self-examination are benign changes, i.e. those that have nothing to do with cancer.

  • Mastopathy

These are the numerous lumps, lumps and lumps you can feel in your breasts. This is usually a sign of a hormonal imbalance (too little progesterone in relation to estrogen). The lumps may appear partially or throughout the breast.

Diet plays an important role in the treatment of mastopathy. The more vegetables, fruits and legumes, the less discomfort. Coffee and animal fats, on the other hand, can increase unpleasant symptoms.

Such changes are experienced by ladies between the ages of 30 and 40. And although everything returns to normal after the menopause, mastopathic changes must be monitored by a doctor. To make sure that nothing is wrong, your doctor will order an ultrasound and blood hormone measurements, and sometimes a mammogram. If the results do not indicate the presence of cancer, you should take care of the hormonal balance. To achieve this, a gel with progesterone rubbed into the breast is increasingly being used instead of oral medications. After treatment and introduction of a proper diet, the changes disappear, but the tendency to mastopathy remains. Therefore, if it is found, check-ups should be made at least once a year. This is important because cysts can form in the overgrown breast tissue.

  • Breast cysts

Breast cysts are also called cysts. Women between the ages of 30 and 50 are most of the concern. They are less common in young women or those whose ovarian hormones have stopped working. A cyst is always felt as a hard lump. Cysts are similar to fluid-filled vesicles. If a lump in your breast appears suddenly, within a few days, or gets bigger quickly, don't panic as it is usually not cancer.

To identify a cyst, your doctor examines your breast with your fingers and then orders an ultrasound or mammogram. The next stage of diagnosis may be a fine needle biopsy. In most cases, the biopsy is not only diagnostic, but also therapeutic. A large cyst can cause pain that radiates down to the armpit. Puncture it and draw the fluid with a syringe brings immediate relief. The lump gets smaller and then fades away.

  • Adenomatous fibroadenomas

They are usually smooth and hard. InIn one breast, even several such lumps of different sizes may develop - from a pea to a small lemon. They are most often formed near the nipple in women under 30, and sometimes also in adolescents. They are the result of excessive development of glandular and fibrous tissue within the lobe of the breast, and can be identified by finger examination due to specific features. However, for absolute certainty, an ultrasound is performed. If the result is inconclusive, a biopsy is made and the collected tissues are examined microscopically for the presence of cancerous cells. Women under 25 years of age rarely develop cancer due to fibroadenomas and are therefore left for observation. But at the request of the woman, they can be removed by a surgeon. If this type of nodule is present in middle-aged or older ladies - they should be removed and examined under a microscope to check if they do not contain cancerous cells. Older women already have a much higher risk of developing a malignant tumor in the breast.

  • warts

They are difficult to detect during breast self-examination. When pressure is applied to the breast or nipple, it comes out with serous or milky discharge. The discharge may be stained with blood when a pedunculate papilloma (i.e. a lump on a leg) obstructs the milk duct. Papillomas do develop in the milk ducts, but this is not related to breastfeeding. Such nodules are common in premenopausal women and smokers. They are most often formed when there is a significant expansion of the end sections of the milk ducts and the accumulation of secretions there. If it cannot get out by itself because the outlet is blocked, inflammation develops or a painful abscess develops. High temperature may also appear. This requires prompt treatment. Usually, it is enough to administer antibiotics, although sometimes it is necessary to surgically clean the diseased area.

  • Nipple infection

They are caused by bacteria entering from the outside. Therefore, breastfeeding women often suffer from them. Inflammation is unpleasant and painful, but it is rarely a sign of serious illness. If it is caused by obstruction of the mammary glands (after careless pumping), the breast becomes tense, hot, very red and painful. The only salvation then is taking painkillers and antibiotics that treat the inflammation but not harm the baby. Do not feed your baby with a sick breast for 2-3 days. They have to be added later, because the flow of milk helps to fight infections faster.

Breast: correct and incorrect

The consistency of the breasts should be homogeneous, similar to the buttock muscle. Bigthe shape of the areola is also important for the appearance of the bust - oval, round or irregular. The nipple can be cylindrical, conical, like a barrel or a funnel. The end of the nipple can be smooth, folded, with fine lines. Sometimes, holes are also visible - the gland ducts. The nipples, like the breasts, tend to be directed outwards, centered or asymmetrical. Most women have minimally asymmetrical breasts, and a few percent clearly.

Most of the lumps we feel under our fingers are related to normal breast development and the changes that women experience in life - during puberty, full sexual activity, pregnancy, feeding a baby and menopause. At each of these stages, different physiological changes occur in the breasts. But the line between benign lumps or nodules and those that can develop into cancer is sometimes delicate. Therefore, breast examination must become a habit.

Breasts - what should worry you

Getting to know your own breasts and gaining practice in self-examination allows you to notice the smallest changes in their shape, appearance and internal structure. When something bothers you, see a doctor. The line between benign lumps or nodules and those that can develop into cancer is very delicate. You should pay particular attention to:

  • changes on the skin of the breast - discoloration, new moles, stretch marks;
  • changing the shape or size of the breasts (differences in the size of the breasts can be large);
  • erosion of the nipple (usually a non-healing pimple or a small ulcer);
  • nipple discharge - outside of the breastfeeding period - any blood-colored, milky or colorless discharge is abnormal;
  • changing the shape of the areola of the breast (it may lose its regular shape or color);
  • a lump under the fingers, clearly demarcated from the breast tissue;
  • retracted nipple, which until now looked normal.

Note! The nipple may be drawn in (as if tucked inside the breast) from puberty. Sometimes it affects one or sometimes both breasts and does not have to be a symptom of the disease. On the other hand, a nipple that is protruding and retracted may be a sign of breast cancer. The following are also disturbing signals:

  • swelling in the armpit (may indicate lymphatic accumulation in the armpit, inflammation or an ongoing cancer);
  • enlarged lymph nodes in the armpit and breast area (a sign that the body is fighting an intruder in this area).
Important

Mastodynia or why do breasts hurt?

Many women complain of breast pain (mastodynia). They are often afraid that this is the first sign of a developing cancer. Fortunately, that's not the case. Cyclic breast pain is usually associated with menstruation and is perfectly normal. Most women experience them before their period. Some ladies complain of hypersensitivity and pain up to two weeks before the onset of menstruation. Sometimes the pain is associated with benign breast diseases, such as dilatation of the milk ducts. It can also arise in other parts of the body and radiate to the breast. When the pain is repeated or continuous, we will not help ourselves, you need to see a doctor.

Better ultrasound or mammography?

Both of these tests can be done under your insurance. However, not all age groups are covered by such surveys. Therefore, for your own peace of mind, it is worth doing them privately. In a properly menstruating woman up to the age of 35, the volume of glandular tissue is dominant. After that, the proportions begin to gradually change - the glandular or glandular-adipose tissue turns into adipose tissue. Therefore, when going to an ultrasound examination for the first time, remember what type of tissue is predominant in our breasts (the description of the type of tissue should be the first sentence that the doctor places on the examination description). When glandular tissue is dominant in the breast, ultrasound is the best diagnostic test. For women who have breasts predominantly made of adipose tissue, mammography will be the most thorough examination. Most doctors say that the first breast ultrasound should be performed by a woman around 25-30. age. Earlier this test is recommended for women who have started regular intercourse around the age of 20 and use hormonal contraception. Then the first ultrasound should be performed after one year of taking the pills.

"Zdrowie" monthly

Category:

Female diseases