What is mastocytosis

  Mastocytosis is a generic term for mastocytosis, which is neither a tumor nor an inflammatory disease, but a degenerative and progressive change in the structure of the ducts and lobules of the breast. Mastocytosis, also known as lobular hyperplasia, is a benign breast disease and the most common breast disease in women, accounting for about 60% of all breast diseases, in fact, most benign breast diseases are not cancerous, so there is no need to panic.  As for the naming of mastopathy, many scholars at home and abroad have adopted different names according to the lesion characteristics and pathological changes of the disease, so its naming is quite confusing, such as chronic fibrocystic mastopathy, benign epithelial hyperplasia of the breast, lobular hyperplasia of the breast, breast pain, breast adenopathy, breast structural dysplasia and so on. These names reflect different aspects and degrees of the pathological changes of the disease, but the basic pathological changes are abnormal and non-physiological increase in the number of mammary epithelial cells. In order to avoid such naming confusion and to make the name of the disease consistent, the National Office of Cancer Control and Research named it “mastocytosis” in 1978. The disease includes physiological simple mammary epithelial hyperplasia (breast pain), pathological mammary adenopathy (divided into lobular hyperplasia, fibroadenopathy and sclerosing adenopathy) and cystic mammary hyperplasia.  The clinical features of mastocytosis are breast pain and masses. The pain is mostly distension. There is also stabbing or burning pain, mostly on one side, and the pain may radiate to the affected armpit or shoulder and back. The lump is usually found in the upper part of the breast, and the shape of the lump is flaky, striped, nodular, granular, etc. The border is not very clear, the texture is slightly hard and tough, and it moves when pushed, without adhesions with the surrounding tissues. The pain and lumps in the breast show corresponding changes with the menstrual cycle; generally the pain increases before the onset of menstruation, the lumps increase in size and harden, and after the menstrual period the pain decreases, the lumps decrease and become soft. The cause of mastocytosis has not been fully identified, and the cause is generally considered to be endocrine disorders. The incidence of mastocytosis among urban women is increasing year by year, especially among white-collar women, and experts estimate that this is related to the fast pace of life, mental tension, high-fat diet, and fertility status.  At present, there are many drugs and methods for the treatment of breast hyperplasia, which are generally effective, but they must be used under the guidance of a specialist, and should not be taken without a clear diagnosis, thus concealing or aggravating the condition, in order to avoid delaying the early detection and treatment of breast malignancy. Some symptoms of mastoproliferative disease are similar to the early symptoms of breast cancer and can be easily confused. For mastoproliferative disease, we must pay attention to regular hospital review, once every six months to once a year, especially for middle-aged women, even if they are asymptomatic, they should go to the hospital breast specialist for breast examination every six months and mammogram once a year. According to statistics about 1%-3% of patients with this disease may be transformed into breast cancer, so women should also pay attention to the prevention and treatment of mastocytosis.