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Breast cancer
Researchers showed an array of cutting-edge
ultrasound techniques that may help doctors determine whether
a suspicious breast lesion is cancerous or benign.
Many
conditions can mimic breast cancer by producing breast lumps,
nipple discharges, or inflammation. Very few instances of
these symptoms are due to cancer. In fact, more than half
of all women will develop a breast problem in their lifetime.
Physical and ultrasound examination can help to confirm
is there any pathological appearance on skin, muscles or
glandular tissue of breasts. Any suspect changes need to
check on a mammography. Ultrasound of breasts needs to do
for any woman: in perimenopause or climax; under substitute
hormonal therapy; under contraceptive therapy; with irregular
periods; with familiar diagnoses positive for pathological
breast history. Most frequent breast diseases are: fibroadenoma,
fibrocystic changes and ductal papillomas.
When these are biopsies (a surgical procedure to determine
whether a lump is cancerous),
75% of lumps and other problems turn out to be benign (non-cancerous).
If you think you may have any of these conditions,
be sure to see your doctor. The best time for breast examination
is 5 to 7 days after cessation of menses, when the morphologic
influences of hormones are minimal.
COMMON BREAST DISEASES
Fibroadenoma
This disease most frequently appears in women
age 20-40. It appears as a painless rubbery mass and can
be either a single mass or multiple masses. Fibroadenomas
may increase slightly with the menstrual cycle. It is the
most common mass found in girls prior to puberty and is
not pre-cancerous.
Fibrocystic Change (Lumpy
Breast)
This
condition is by far the most frequently occurring breast
disease. It is most often seen in women between 35 and 50.
It is usually seen as the breasts'
response to hormonal
levels rising and failing from month to month over the years.
After many years of this repeated hormonal stimulation,
nearly all women's breasts develop some degree of lumpiness.
This type of breast lumpiness is also incorrectly known
as mammary dysplasia or chronic mastitis. Lumpy breasts
may be accompanied by pain or tenderness that fluctuates
with the menstrual cycle, becoming more noticeable prior
to menstruation.
Ductal Papillomas
This
condition occurs most often in women between age 45 and
50 and generally appears as a bloody or clear discharge
from the nipple. It is a benign tumor in the duct that cannot
be felt (breast cancer can also produce a discharge).
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