Frequently Asked Questions: “There’s something wrong with my medical report, do I have cancer?” The physical examination report has various terms or descriptive language written on it, such as “nodule”, “cyst”, “mass”, “BI-RADS “, “hypoechoic”, “anechoic”, “calcification”, “disorganized glandular structure “, “clear borders” or “unclear borders”, etc. So, what is wrong with their breasts? To avoid unnecessary panic, let’s briefly explain these words in order of their frequency of occurrence. First: “nodule” This word is mostly found in the ultrasound report of the breast, and occasionally in the simple touch report or mammogram report. The term “nodule” is a descriptive term to describe a “small” mass found by various methods and does not relate to the benign or malignant nature of the mass and is never the name of the disease. The term “mass” is used to describe a “large” mass. Second: “hypoechoic”, “anechoic” In the ultrasound report of the breast, the nodule is usually described as “hypoechoic” or “anechoic”. “Again, this is descriptive language, and there seems to be no particularly objective criteria for defining “nodules” that are naturally darker (hypoechoic) or darker (anechoic) on a black-and-white ultrasound image of various nature. The terms “well-defined” or “poorly defined” describe whether these “nodules” are clearly identifiable on the image. It is not possible to say that “indistinct” is malignant or “clear” is benign; this requires specific analysis by the physician. Third: “disorganized glandular structure” is a descriptive term used to describe the glandular image in the ultrasound or mammogram report. If you imagine the breast as a bun, then the skin and subcutaneous fat tissue are the “skin” and the glands are the “filling”. The “skin” and the “filling” are always clearly distinguishable on the image, and the “filling” is the focus of our attention. If the image structure of the “filling” looks different from the normal one, we would describe it as “glandular structure disorder”, mostly due to glandular hyperplasia, which is often referred to as “mastopexy”. The majority of these are due to glandular hyperplasia, which is often referred to as “breast enlargement,” but of course, we cannot exclude the very few “structural disorders” that are due to local cellular malignancies. Fourth: “Cysts” Again, in ultrasound reports, experienced ultrasonographers will judge a particularly typical “non-echoic” nodule as a “cyst”. This is more common in cystic hyperplasia of the breast, which can be single or multiple. Most cysts are benign and harmless. The fifth place: “BI-RADS” This mysterious “high” looking English, many patients panic, more terrible is its suffix on the different levels: grade 1, grade 2, grade 3 …. …, in fact, this is just “breast imaging reporting and data system, breast imaging reporting and data system” abbreviation, in order to make different doctors see the image report, a unified standard can be found, when the classification ≧ 3 grade, prompting physicians to make further diagnostic or surgical intervention. Sixth: “calcification” Many patients are frightened when they see this word on the mammogram report, not knowing that calcification is very common in the breast film, but problematic malignant “calcification” is very rare. Scattered, isolated, large, round calcifications (white dots on mammograms) are actually benign calcifications, and although they don’t go away once they are created, they are not malignant for life and need not be bothered with. However, calcifications that are suspected to be malignant must be treated further by a physician. The key tip: the various examinations of the breast should be different from person to person, early detection of abnormalities and treatment will be much better.