Some people who have had a mammogram are often confused: My mammogram showed that the nodule was “benign”, but why did the doctor recommend that I have surgery to remove it?
Is a nodule benign or malignant?
The imaging test doesn’t count!
In fact, whether a nodule is “benign” or “malignant” is ultimately determined by a pathological biopsy, not by imaging tests such as ultrasound or mammogram.
Sometimes, the imaging tests are “benign”, but the biopsy after surgery reveals that it is breast cancer.
Therefore, for those who have “benign” imaging tests, the doctor may recommend surgery depending on the situation.
So the question is, who are the people who may need surgery if they have “benign nodes” on ultrasound or mammogram?
Reference condition 1: Age
40~60 years old: High incidence group
Women aged 40 to 60 are the high incidence of breast cancer.
Therefore, if a new nodule is found to have grown within a year in female patients over 40 years old, regardless of size and whether one or more nodules have grown, surgery is recommended to remove it and send it for pathological examination.
35-39 years old: in the “fuzzy zone
Patients between the ages of 35 and 39 are in the “fuzzy zone”. If a single (single solid nodule or mass >1 cm) or multiple breast nodules are found, the choice between surgery or follow-up can be made according to the patient’s wishes.
If the patient has heavy ideological concerns or does not have time to return to the hospital for regular review, resulting in failure to detect disease progression in a timely manner, minimally invasive surgical treatment may be considered.
Reference condition 2: Nodule size and trait
Solitary nodules.
When a solitary nodule is ≥ 2 cm and grows rapidly, surgery is generally recommended.
Multiple nodules.
Surgery is also recommended when imaging is not certain that all nodules are benign.
Because it is difficult for doctors to determine the nature of all nodules based on imaging alone, and one of several nodules may be cancerous, pathological confirmation after surgery is essential.
Reference condition three: whether pregnancy is planned or not
If the patient plans to get pregnant, surgical treatment before pregnancy is usually recommended.
Because pregnancy and breastfeeding may lead to tumor growth or even malignancy, surgical treatment will be recommended to avoid difficulties in diagnosis and treatment of breast lumps during pregnancy. Encor Vacuum Minimally Invasive Selective Excision Machine used by our hospital