What is a breast nodule?

  With the increasing incidence of breast diseases such as breast enlargement and breast cancer, people are paying more and more attention to breast health, and most of the health checkups include breast examination items, such as ultrasound and mammography (mammogram).  Generally speaking, nodules found in physical examination are mostly benign hyperplasia and less malignant lesions. However, for those who are at high risk of breast cancer, such as those who are over 35 years old, have a family history of breast cancer or a history of atypical hyperplasia of the breast, or have a lump in the breast in the last few months or a year or two, they should go to a specialized clinic for further examination as soon as possible.  Benign breast diseases mainly include breast hyperplasia (e.g. mastocytosis), mastitis and benign breast tumors (e.g. breast fibroadenoma); malignant diseases mainly include breast cancer and breast sarcoma. Among benign breast diseases, breast hyperplasia and fibroadenoma are not directly related to breast cancer and will not necessarily develop into breast cancer. However, when atypical hyperplasia is present, you should be highly alert and there is a higher possibility of developing into breast cancer.  Based on palpation, mammogram and ultrasound alone, it may not be possible to determine which type of hyperplasia is more likely to become cancerous. Pathological examination, i.e. puncture biopsy or biopsy by section, is needed to determine whether there is cancer. When puncture is needed depends on the assessment results of imaging, and BI-RADS grading is a breast imaging assessment modality that is used to evaluate the likelihood of benign and malignant breast lesions to determine how likely breast cancer is and whether the breast lesion should be biopsied.  The BI-RADS grading method classifies breast lesions into grades 0 to 5. Generally speaking, the higher the grade, the higher the likelihood of malignancy. Specifically, grade 0 means that ultrasound cannot fully evaluate the lesion and further imaging, such as mammography or MRI, is needed. grade 1 means that no abnormal lesion is found, i.e., normal breast. grade 2 is a benign lesion, which basically excludes malignancy and can be reviewed regularly. grade 3 is considered a benign lesion and short-term (3 to 6 months) follow-up is recommended. grade 3 lesions generally have a malignancy rate of <2%. grade 4 is Suspected malignant lesions, generally doctors will recommend first considering puncture biopsy, McMurdo biopsy or surgical biopsy, divided into three categories: 4a, 4b and 4c. 4a has a low likelihood of malignancy (3%-30%); 4b tends to be malignant with a likelihood of 31%-60%; 4c is further suspected to be malignant with a likelihood of 61%-94%. grade 5 represents a high likelihood of malignancy, almost certain, with a malignancy The probability is 95%, and active diagnosis and treatment should be taken.  Patients should not take matters into their own hands after receiving the report card, but must consult a medical professional and listen to the doctor's guidance and advice. If the rating is 4 or 5, puncture biopsy is usually done, and excisional biopsy is done if necessary; part of the grade 3 is based on clinical needs, and for high-risk groups with higher risk of cancer, doctors will usually recommend puncture biopsy; in addition, if the patient is anxious, even if the doctor clearly diagnoses it as benign, the patient is still worried about atypical hyperplasia or cancer, puncture biopsy can also be chosen.  Currently, the examination means for breast diseases mainly include clinical palpation (touch by hand by experienced doctors), ultrasound, mammography, MRI, and puncture biopsy. Self-examination of the breast can be done at home, but if you find an abnormal mass, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. In the hospital, apart from palpation by a professional doctor, ultrasound and mammography are the most common and economical means of examination, which are useful for screening and diagnosis of breast enlargement, breast nodules and breast cancer. Mammography is not suitable for young people. Therefore, it is more suitable for women over 35 years old. When suspicious nodules are found after the above mentioned examinations and breast cancer is suspected, a puncture biopsy is needed to clarify the pathological diagnosis, which is the only final evidence to confirm the diagnosis of breast cancer and cannot be replaced by any imaging data.  Women with breast disease should have regular checkups at least once a year and deal with them accordingly according to the results. If the nodule is of a less clear nature, a puncture biopsy is recommended, and if it is an atypical hyperplasia or malignant lesion, it should be surgically removed as soon as possible.  When breast nodules appear, patients often worry about breast cancer. So what should be done to prevent breast cancer in daily life? To prevent breast disease, we should start with a healthy lifestyle, i.e. no smoking, no alcoholism, a balanced diet with more vegetables and fruits, a controlled diet with fat and moderate protein supplement. Especially, we should pay attention to cancer prevention screening, through regular checkups, early diagnosis and early treatment can be achieved. If breast cancer is detected early, the treatment effect will be better. When the tumor is not large, even total mastectomy is not needed, only local lesion removal (breast-conserving surgery) is required in order to maintain good appearance and improve the patient's quality of life without reducing the therapeutic effect.