Breast Lumps In Women (cont.)
How can a woman be certain that a lump is not cancer?
There is only one way to be certain that a lump is not cancerous is to have a tissue sampling (biopsy). There are several ways to do the biopsy.
Sometimes, a fine needle aspiration (FNA) is done. FNA is like a blood test in that a needle is inserted and fluid is withdrawn.
A hollow needle is inserted into the suspicious area, and a core of tissue is
removed via the needle. To determine the correct location to sample, the lump can either be felt, or if it cannot be felt, the FNA may be done during an ultrasound or mammogram. FNA of a benign cyst may remove the fluid contents of the cyst and cause the mass to disappear or markedly decrease in size. If no fluid can be aspirated, the mass is solid, and a direct tissue sampling must be performed.
Depending upon the location and size of the breast lump and the medical history, the doctor may also recommend a surgical biopsy (using either local anesthesia or general anesthesia in an operating room) to remove a sample of the lump for analysis.
How are breast lumps treated?
- A breast infection (mastitis) in a
breastfeeding woman is treated with warm compresses and antibiotics.
- A convenient and effective way of applying heat treatment is to wet some washcloths and put them in the microwave briefly to
warm them.
- Hot showers are also helpful.
- During heat treatment, the infected area can be massaged.
- After heat treatment, which helps open up the milk ducts, either nursing the baby or using a breast pump can help relieve the swelling and pain. Contrary to common myth, nursing the baby or using a breast pump is a critical part of the treatment because it helps decrease the chance of the infection progressing.
If the area actually looks red or fails to get better with heat, massage, and nursing, a doctor should be consulted for consideration of antibiotics, because mastitis can progress quickly and develop into a severe infection. Whether a woman is pregnant or not, she needs to see a doctor if the area does not return completely to normal with treatment in order to rule out more unusual types of infections.
Cellulitis needs to be treated with antibiotics and frequent follow-ups with the doctor.
- An abscess of the breast often needs to be drained by a doctor because antibiotics alone cannot adequately treat an abscess.
- Fibroadenomas are usually removed because they are difficult to distinguish from cancer until they are removed.
- Breast pain (mastodynia) is a common problem. As long as no mass can be felt by the doctor or patient, and no breast lump is seen on a mammogram or ultrasound, breast pain is often concluded to be a normal condition. It is often thought that this pain is caused by natural hormonal fluctuations. If the discomfort is particularly acute and interferes excessively with a woman's life,
oral contraceptives or other medications can be helpful, especially if the pain is worse around the time of the
menstrual cycles.
- Fibrocystic changes do not require medication or surgery. Often, a baseline mammogram is done. Then, no further treatment is needed unless a new lump arises, in which case an evaluation with a mammogram and possibly ultrasound is necessary.
- Breast cancer requires urgent treatment. Treatment depends on the type of cancer detected, its size, and its location. For more information, read the article on Breast Cancer.
Next: Breast Lumps At A Glance »
- Breast Biopsy - Learn about the different types of breast biopsy procedures, which are used to remove suspicious breast growth and examined for the presence of cancer.
- Breast Cancer - Get the facts on breast cancer symptoms, signs, stages, types, research, risk factors, diagnosis, prevention information and treatment options: mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy.
- Ultrasound - Learn an ultrasound procedure, and conditions and diseases it assists in diagnosing and screening like tumors, cysts, heart conditions and more.
Latest Medical News
Womens Health RSS