I. Definition of breast nodules
In fact, breast nodules are morphological changes in breast tissue, which is an ambiguous diagnostic term or a clinical manifestation. In other words, a breast “nodule” is a symptom, not a diagnosis of a disease (i.e., the name of the disease). Many breast lesions can appear as “nodules”. These include: breast hyperplasia, breast fibroadenoma, plasmacytoid mastitis, breast cancer, etc.
Classification of breast nodules
1. Breast nodules: They can be observed and reviewed every six months or a year to see if they have grown, if there is blood flow, if there is posterior echogenicity, if there is calcification, etc.; some of them will subside on their own.
2. Breast fibroadenoma: If the tumor is less than 1CM, with smooth border and ultrasound suggesting no blood flow signal, it can be observed, but unlike hyperplastic nodules, it usually will not subside on its own. In addition, different breast diseases often have their own characteristics of nodules, and when we make a diagnosis, breast “nodules” is only one of the diagnostic bases, in addition, we also need to know whether there is pain, nipple overflow and other conditions, and need to combine with auxiliary The nodules are often different in morphology, so there are some differences in the doctor’s touch when palpating them.
The difference between breast nodules and mastopexy
The nodules are mainly benign hyperplasia of the interstitial breast, which can occur around the ducts and be accompanied by cysts of varying sizes; if the hyperplasia occurs in the ducts, the nodules usually appear as papillary hyperplasia of the epithelium and are accompanied by cystic dilatation of the milk ducts. This pathology leads to the other main symptom of breast nodules, i.e., spontaneous, unilateral or bilateral breast lumps, which are often painful to the touch.
Mammary hyperplasia is a physiological hyperplasia of the normal breast lobules with incomplete restoration, a disturbance in the normal structure of the breast, a physiological hyperplasia, which is neither an inflammatory nor a tumor. It is often accompanied by breast pain: often swelling or stabbing pain, which can involve one or both breasts, with one side being more common, affecting daily life and work. The pain may radiate to the affected armpit, chest or back of the shoulder. In some cases, the pain may manifest itself as sore or itchy nipples. Breast pain often appears or worsens a few days after menstruation and decreases or disappears after menstruation. Pain can also fluctuate with mood changes.
How to deal with nodules in the breast as reported by breast ultrasound
The nodules on the breast ultrasound report may represent cystic, solid, benign and suspicious malignant, etc. Different cases should be treated differently. Cystic nodules and typical benign nodules can be reviewed regularly, but if the nodule is solid and the ultrasound cannot exclude malignancy, further examination (e.g. mammography, MRI) is recommended to clarify the nature of the lesion. Thereafter, appropriate treatment should be done according to the examination results.
V. Hazards of breast nodules
As a non-tumor disease, breast nodules may develop into benign tumors or even malignant if left untreated for a long time. Therefore, patients must pay attention psychologically, not to tolerate the pain and not to treat it, and not to postpone treatment.
The harmful effects of breast nodules are widespread and can be manifested as follows
1, in the menstrual period or bad mood is bloated pain.
2, can affect the confidence of women, emotions and marriage.
3, the breast is not full, elastic, appear sagging.
4.Long-term enlargement may lead to malignant changes – cancer.
5.Surgical removal and become incomplete women.
6.Severe and malignant changes require surgical excision.
Thus, it can be seen that the danger of breast nodules is great. The majority of women must be vigilant, early prevention, if the disease is found also timely treatment, as far as possible to eliminate the occurrence of such diseases.
Six, the treatment of breast nodules
1, regular checkups
In order to early detection, timely treatment.
2, drug treatment
(1) Western medicine treatment for breast nodules: such as tamoxifen, should be considered only when the symptoms are serious and affect normal work and life.
(2) Chinese herbal treatment for breast nodules: such as breast fetish elimination, breast nourishing granules and other drugs to soften nodules and disperse blood stasis.
3.Surgical treatment
We do not recommend surgery for patients with simple breast nodules, because surgery can cause a lot of damage, treat the symptoms but not the root cause, and is prone to recurrence, and requires a recovery period after surgery, which is difficult to accept. However, for breast nodules that are not treated with medication and have rapid growth or hardened texture within a short period of time, the possibility of cancer should be highly suspected, and if necessary, biopsy or simple excision of the affected breast should be performed, and if cancer cells are detected in intraoperative frozen section, they should be treated as breast cancer.
Prevention of breast nodules
As a common gynecological disease for women, breast nodules are not unfamiliar to many female friends. At present, the clinical cause is mainly due to endocrine hormone imbalance. A small number of patients are also caused by mental reasons, mostly due to excessive mental stress and mental strain.
1, women should first pay attention to the prevention of mastopexy from the wearing of their own bras. In addition to preventing breast sagging, the more important role of bras is to prevent further compression of the already compressed breast nerves and eliminate discomfort. Careful sisters will find that those joggers wear a solid bra is the reason for this health care.
2, women should change their eating habits, adopt a low-fat, high-fiber diet, consume cereals, whole grains, vegetables and legumes for fiber. High-salt foods tend to make the breasts swell, 7 to 10 days before the menstrual period should especially avoid such foods.
3, women can also gently massage their own breasts, because the massage can make excess body fluid back to the lymphatic system. Massage, first apply soap solution to the breast, rotate your fingers along the surface of the breast, about a coin-sized circle. Then press the breast in with your hand and pop it up again. Therefore, after the physical examination found breast nodules, patients should raise awareness of early hospital consultation, if early detection, early diagnosis, early treatment, early prevention in daily life, scientific prevention, away from breast disease will no longer be a dream. Only the correct understanding of breast “nodules”, away from confusion, in order to let you live a more relaxed, more confident.