Women of all ages encounter this question: I feel a breast lump, what should I do? We say that there is no need to be overly nervous when we find a breast lump because most of them are breast enlargement, benign lumps, and of course, even with breast cancer, there is up to 80% chance of cure, so there is no need to panic. In fact, the best way is to leave it to a professional mammographer for consultation and diagnosis. There are two methods commonly used for X-ray examination H, mammography and dry plate mammography. In addition, breast ultrasonography, which can detect irregular block shadows; combined with the clinical examination by a professional doctor, the diagnostic compliance rate can reach 95%. Breast self-examination is best scheduled 3 to 7 days after the end of menstruation, when the breasts are less engorged, softer and easier to feel for lumps. You should first look for bilateral breast symmetry, abnormal shape, inflammatory-like skin changes and cellulite-like edema, etc. Then use your left hand to examine the right breast and your right hand to examine the left breast. The order of touching is starting from the upper inner quadrant of the breast, followed by the lower inner, lower outer, upper outer quadrant, areola area, and finally the axillary tail. You should not use your hands to grasp and squeeze the breast, otherwise you will easily mistake the normal breast tissue for a lump. Afterwards, squeeze the nipple with your fingers to see if there is any abnormal overflow. Finally, touch the lymph nodes in the armpit and clavicle area with the left and right hands to see if there is any enlargement and painful redness. If a lump of uneven tissue, lumpy or granular, with a sense of elasticity, is touched during breast self-examination, it can range in size from several millimeters to 1 cm, and is probably a normal lobular lump of the breast, usually larger before menstruation and shrinking after menstruation, sometimes with tenderness, do not treat it as a tumor. The nature of the lump Many women are alarmed when they find a lump in their breast. Most patients with breast lumps are women between the ages of 30 and 50. There are many causes of breast lumps. However, the vast majority of them are harmless or not very problematic. Lumps are more likely to appear before menstruation. A little later, the size of the lump may change. At one time, lumps were thought of as a medical condition, even called “fibrocystic breast disease”, but science has since proven that this is actually quite common, and it has been given a proper name. After menopause, breast lumps usually do not appear anymore, but breast lumps of other causes may appear. Cystic lumps According to the experts of the breast department of Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, these lumps are caused by cysts containing pus in the breast. When you massage the lump with your finger, it will feel smooth. This type of lump can cause more pain, but in some cases, it does not cause pain either. Cystic lumps may be caused by an imbalance in the hormones that regulate menstruation, but they do not usually grow in women over the age of 50, and they are not cancerous. The pain and lumps can be eliminated by professional pus extraction. Sebaceous cysts are caused by blockage of the ducts of the hair follicles. It is roughly the same to the touch as a cystic type lump. Hormonal stimulation or trauma can worsen the situation. If this type of lump does not cause other complications, then treatment is not necessary. If treatment is needed, it can be resolved by simply making a small hole in the protrusion and withdrawing the blockage. Abscesses Abscesses develop because of an infection within the breast. This type of lump can be painful and, in addition to this, the skin on the surface of the breast can be red and hot. You may also have a generalized fever. It can be cured by taking antibiotics, or by making an incision to extract the infected tissue. Fatty lumps These are simply lumps of fat in the breast that are changing and thus becoming round. These lumps will be hard to the touch. The epidermis may also turn red. Usually, these lumps do not heal. Adenomas Adenomas are not cancerous, but are just normal growths of glandular tissue in the breast. Often, African women in their 20’s are more likely to develop these types of lumps. When felt with the fingers, the lump can be felt as relatively round and hard, and can even move from side to side. Intraductal papilloma This type of tumor is a tumor growth in the ducts of the breast. They usually grow under the nipple and even cause bleeding from the nipple. Women near menopause may have this type of condition in one breast. Younger women may have them in both breasts. It is usually a very hard lump in the breast that has no regular shape. And it adheres to the skin or deep tissue. Therefore, you cannot push these lumps with your fingers. However, breast cancer lumps do not cause pain. The common causes of breast lumps are listed above. If you have a breast lump, experts remind that just touching it with your finger cannot confirm the cause of all breast tumors, and you should go to a breast specialist for medical examination. How to distinguish benign and malignant breast lumps? Breast lumps are a common problem for women. Since there are benign and malignant breast lumps, it is important for patients to make a preliminary judgment based on the location, size, texture, shape and mobility of the lump, which can buy time for early diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors. Benign breast lumps commonly include lobular hyperplasia, fibroadenoma, intraductal papilloma, and plasmacytoid mastitis, tuberculosis, and retention cysts. Benign masses are characterized by slow development, clear and regular borders, and high mobility. Fibrous drying tumors preferably occur at the age of 15-30 years and are usually painless and do not vary with the menstrual cycle. Lobular hyperplasia is more frequent during childbearing years and often occurs before the onset of menstruation with breast swelling and discharge, as if touching beans on a plate during examination. When fluid accumulates in the breast ducts and forms cysts, examination may reveal large scattered nodules with relatively clear borders, soft texture, and sometimes a sense of fluctuation. Plasmacytosis often presents as nodules or lumps around the areola with mild nipple indentation. In the acute stage, the surface is mostly red and swollen, and the lumps are painful to touch and soft in texture. Malignant lumps in the breast are most commonly preceded by breast cancer, and the lumps tend to develop more rapidly. Pain and tenderness can occur in about 10% of lumps. If the lump invades the suspensory ligament of the breast, the ligament will shorten and cause a sunken skin on the surface of the tumor, which is jokingly called the “dimple sign”. If the lump grows behind the areola or nipple, it will also cause nipple depression. In some cases, when the lump grows up, the veins on the surface of the breast will be dilated. They are shaped like earthworms. If the lump obstructs lymphatic flow, the skin becomes swollen, but because the skin and subcutaneous tissue at the local hair follicles and sebaceous glands are relatively dense, the skin is sunken in a dotted pattern, which is called the “orange peel sign” by medical professionals. In 5% to 10% of breast cancer patients, nipple drainage occurs, which is often a watery, plasma-like, plasma-blooded or bloody fluid discharged from the ducts. The breast is a superficial organ, easy to check, if each woman can check herself regularly, it is not an easy task to identify its good and bad, just like you cannot tell whether the stock market will rise tomorrow.