Did you feel any lumps in your breasts? Don't panic. But also do not delay the visit to the doctor, because even benign lumps in the breasts need to be checked. Depending on your age, your doctor will refer you for an ultrasound or mammogram.
You senseda lump in your breast ? It is necessary to check it, although it is most likelya mild change in the breast , because most of the lumps (lumps) that you feel under your fingers are related to the proper structure of the breast and the changes that they undergo throughout the entire period. a woman's life. In different stages of life (puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause) the bust has a slightly different structure. In order to know what is the norm in the structure of your breasts, you need to get to know them well. The best way to do this is through regular self-monitoring. Made carefully, it allows you to notice or feel even small changes in the shape, appearance or internal structure of the breast.
Is a lump in your breast a high probability of cancer?
As much as 80 percent lumps you feel during self-examination have nothing to do with cancer. These changes are usually mild. They appear in every second woman of reproductive age. It is not entirely clear why they form, although to some extent it may be related to various hormonal disorders.
What you feel as a lump in your breast may be, for example, a cyst, fibroadenoma, dilation of the milk ducts, lipoma. The lesions can be of various locations and sizes: from a peppercorn to a few centimeters. While they are benign, they are usually felt as round, well-defined nodules with equal borders and sliding against the skin and the chest wall.
However, a touch test is not enough to determine whether the lesion is malignant or benign. For this you need to go to a specialist, because more detailed research is necessary.
Breast cancer prevention - what should you know about it?
I felt a lump in my breast. What kind of test should I do?
Although not every lump is cancer, each lump requires diagnosis. Therefore, an imaging test should always be performed - ultrasound or mammography, depending on the age and structure of the breast (up to forty, when the breasts have a more glandular structure, ultrasound works better, and after the age of 45, when fatty tissue predominates -mammography).
When the result of this examination is inconclusive or suggests a malignant change, a biopsy of the suspected nodule is performed (puncture and collection of cells for microscopic examination). If the mild nature of the lesion is confirmed, periodic monitoring is recommended. Benign nodules that are large or enlarged are surgically removed.
Malignant changes require specialist oncological treatment (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy).
This will be useful to youSerious signals
More than half (55%) of neoplastic lesions occur in the upper outer quadrants (areas) of the breast. Lumps suspected of having cancer are generally hard, not sharply delimited, irregularly shaped, and not moveable in relation to the skin and the ground. Breast cancer can also be confirmed by:
● change the size or shape of the breast,
● bloody discharge from the nipple,
● changes in the appearance of the skin (discoloration, puffiness, wrinkles, "orange peel"),
● enlargement of a previously sensed nodule,
● redness or swelling of the breast,
● changes in the shape or outline of the nipples, as well as changes in their appearance (e.g. drawing in, redness, peeling of the epidermis, ulceration),
● to widen the vessels of the breast,
● enlargement of the axillary or supraclavicular lymph nodes,
● swelling of the arm. If you feel a lump in one breast, examine the appropriate portion of the other. Any suspicious changes, especially asymmetric changes, require urgent consultation with a doctor.
According to an expertprof. dr hab. n. med. Wiesław Jakubowski Head of the Department of Ultrasound Diagnostics and Mammography at the Bródno HospitalIt is a shame not to test
Although in Poland the awareness of the importance of prophylaxis has increased in the last 20 years, it still leaves much to be desired, as the enrollment of women for screening tests does not exceed 60%, and in some provinces it reaches only 25%. The best breast cancer screening is in Sweden, where the preventive program covers over 90 percent. women. But the Swedes have spent many years building this awareness. And, for example, if a Swedish woman admits in public that she did not take advantage of the invitation to a mammogram, she is considered frivolous. In Poland, we do not have the habit of performing tests. This is due to the fact that pro-he alth education began in Poland about 20 years later than in Sweden. In order for the prophylaxis to be effective in the scale of the entire country, this awareness should be built from primary school. The more so as the forecasts for Polish women are bad - it is estimated that inthis or next year, the number of new cases of breast cancer will exceed 20,000. Fortunately, the mortality rate began to decline.
monthly "Zdrowie"