Since cancer is a very feared disease, when breast mass is mentioned, breast cancer immediately comes to mind. We also see that the patient who feels a mass in the breast becomes seriously worried with the fear of cancer. However, this fear is unfounded, because the incidence of benign breast diseases and the resulting severe pain in women is higher than cancer.
What Do We Understand When We Say Benign Breast Diseases?
Nowadays, since one in eight women develops breast cancer in her lifetime, cancer diagnosis and treatment is a more popular topic when breast diseases are mentioned. However, breast diseases that we encounter more frequently in our daily practice are benign breast diseases and breast pain that develops due to some of them. When benign breast diseases are mentioned, the first things that come to our mind are breast cysts, fibroadenomas, phyllodes tumor, intraductal papilloma, ductectasis, fat necrosis and breast infections. Breast cysts are the most common lesions of the breast. Because they are so common, they are now considered a variation of normal rather than a disease.
How to Detect Benign Breast Changes?
Clinical examination, imaging methods or control. The first symptoms are detected through breast self-examination, which is taught to patients.
The most common findings in breast diseases are palpable breast mass, pain, nipple discharge and changes in the breast skin. Mammography and Ultrasonography are most commonly used in breast imaging, and a biopsy is performed for a definitive diagnosis, thus determining whether the breast disease is benign or not.
“Fibroadenomas are the most common benign tumor of the breast. Fibroadenomas are oval-shaped in ultrasound and mammography. , can be seen with smooth contours. Definitive diagnosis is made by needle biopsy.”
Can You Give Information About Fibroadenomas?
It is the most common benign tumor of the breast. Transformation into cancer is not expected. Most of the time, the radiological image is sufficient to make a diagnosis. In case of radiological or clinical suspicion, diagnosis is made by needle biopsy or surgical biopsy. If the patient's close relatives have cancer, if the fibroadenoma is large in size, If growth or shape change is detected during follow-up, if it causes deformity that creates an aesthetic defect in the breast and the patient does not want to follow-up, it is surgically removed.
Apart from this, in cases where biopsy is not required, the mass should be examined by ultrasonography every 6 months for at least 2 years. It is recommended to be monitored and surgically removed if growth or shape change is detected during follow-up.
Breast tissue never maintains the same structure throughout life, therefore we recommend our patients to come for check-ups at regular intervals, so that any newly formed cancerous tissue can be detected at an early stage. Since diagnosis and treatment will be required, success rates increase.
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