Don’t be nervous when you find a breast lump, because 2/3 of the lumps found in women of childbearing age are benign lesions.
Breast tumor is a common disease that threatens the physical and mental health of women, and most women find breast lumps unintentionally or during physical examination. Don’t be nervous when finding breast lumps, because two-thirds of the lumps found in women of childbearing age are benign lesions, manifesting as cystic changes, fibroadenomas and papillomas.
Here we will see what are the common benign tumors of the breast.
1. Fibroadenoma
Fibroadenoma is the most common benign tumor of the breast in young women, which first appears as a tough, painless and active lump. In the histological examination, fibroadenoma includes both epithelial and stromal parts, and the histological classification is mainly based on the number of components of these two parts in the lump.
Breast cancer is rarely formed by the malignant transformation of fibroadenoma, and breast cancer confined to fibroadenoma generally has a better prognosis and is treated in the same way as in situ or invasive carcinoma without fibroadenoma.
Once formed, fibroadenoma is less effective with medication and is often resolved by surgery. Surgery is recommended for patients with palpable masses or tumors with danger signs (e.g., blood flow signals, poorly defined borders, with calcification, etc.). Surgical options include open surgery and minimally invasive surgery.
2. Lobular hyperplasia of the breast
Lobular hyperplasia is a common disease in women of childbearing age, mostly occurring between the ages of 25 and 40, with a trend toward expansion of the age area in recent years.
Clinical manifestations are dull pain, swelling, tenderness and breast masses. The degree of breast pain varies, with the milder ones not minded by patients and the heavier ones affecting work and study. The pain is mostly cyclical, often occurring or worsening in the premenstrual period, or associated with exertion, tension, or emotion. Although the periodicity of pain is typical for this disease, it can also be non-periodic and irregularly distended.
The lumps may be solitary or multiple, on one or both sides, and may be confined to a portion of the breast or scattered throughout the breast. The masses are nodular in shape, vary in size, are tough but not hard, and are not clearly demarcated from the surrounding breast tissue; they may shrink or become softer after menstruation.
If the pain affects the patient’s normal life and work, the patient can be treated with Chinese herbal medicine that activates blood circulation and removes blood stasis, and in severe cases, estrogen blockers. Surgery is generally not recommended, unless the hyperplastic masses cannot be excluded from malignant changes.
3.Mammary cysts
Common breast cysts include simple cysts and cumulus cysts. Simple cysts are more common, mainly due to endocrine disorders causing ductal epithelial hyperplasia, resulting in ductal extension, twisting and folding, and necrosis of the duct wall at the fold due to ischemia, forming cysts. Cysts are also called milk retention cysts, which are less common than simple cysts and are mainly due to blockage of ducts during lactation, resulting in the formation of cysts due to milk accumulation.
The chance of cysts becoming malignant is very small and most cysts can be observed regularly. If the cyst is very large, has symptoms such as pressure or the patient is under great mental stress, surgery can be considered, divided into open surgery or minimally invasive surgery.
4.Lobular tumor
Lobular tumors generally grow slowly and show proliferation of epithelium and stroma. Lobular tumors can occur in women of any age, but are mostly seen in premenopausal women. The clinical course of lobar tumors is often unpredictable, and it is sometimes inaccurate to infer benignity or malignancy by cytologic composition and cellular heterogeneity.
Local excision of the mass, including sufficient normal tissue, is feasible for lobar tumors; however, the tumor is relatively prone to recurrence, and repeated recurrences are followed by malignancy. Therefore, three local enlargement resections are generally recommended, and even simple mastectomy may be recommended in case of further recurrence.
5.Intraductal papilloma
Intraductal papilloma is usually <1 cm and often presents as a plasmacythematous, plasmacythematous or aqueous papillary discharge.
In the absence of a mass, hemorrhagic papillary overflow is often caused by intraductal papilloma and is often spontaneous unilateral, uniportal overflow. Porous papillary overflow is usually a benign lesion that does not require surgery, and serum lactogen tests are performed when necessary to exclude pituitary lesions.
The color and consistency of the overflow are important in determining the disease, and cytology of the overflow and mammography can also be performed. Surgery is usually recommended when hematogenous plasma nipple discharge is found. If a lactoscopy is done and a tumor is found, implantation of a guidewire is recommended for positioning surgery.
6. Sclerotic lesions
Sclerotic lesions can sometimes resemble the manifestation of breast cancer under mammography, naked eye or microscopic observation. It is usually <1cm in diameter and is irregular, grayish-white hard nodules with crumpled middle under the naked eye, similar to the manifestation of hard breast cancer. Microscopically the lesion is stellate with a fibrotic center containing a collapsed glandular component. The surrounding breast tissue characteristically shows varying degrees of intraductal hyperplasia or adenopathy.
Whether this disease is cancerous or not is debated, and treatment may involve surgical local excision.
There are many types of breast lumps, so do not be too alarmed when you find a lump in your breast and do not judge yourself, but go to a professional hospital to receive a formal examination by a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.