Is mammary duct ectasia malignant?

Mammary duct dilatation is a cause of breast cancer. This condition is malignant. It mainly causes symptoms of breast cancer, as well as swollen lymph nodes and nipple erosion. Patients need to receive timely treatment. Breast cancer is a cancer with high morbidity and mortality, and mammary duct ectasia is an early manifestation of breast tumor. Patients cannot miss the best time for treatment.

Unilateral nipple discharge is another manifestation of breast cancer and can be bloody or serous in nature. Breast cancer patients often experience skin changes, including edema and orange peel-like changes; the breast skin becomes sunken like dimples; and in the late stages of cancer, ulcers may appear on the skin at the site of the tumor. Ipsilateral lymphadenopathy is also a sign of breast cancer. In addition, the nipple may become inverted or dislocated. In addition, the skin of the nipple and areola shows repeated desquamation, erosion, scabbing, and exudation and bleeding. The incidence of breast cancer is related to many factors. Estrogen, especially estradiol and estrone in estrogen, is one of the important factors leading to breast cancer. Breast cancer has genetic characteristics. The occurrence and development of breast cancer are closely related to psychological factors. Sentimentality, psychological depression, bad temper and unsociable personality will pose a threat to health. A high-fat diet can change the body's endocrine environment and enhance the stimulation of estrogen on breast epithelial cells, thereby increasing the risk of cancer. Radiation is also a factor that cannot be ignored.

Try to stay away from factors that cause breast cancer, such as radiation, negative emotions, etc. Strengthening physical exercise and improving physical fitness are the magic weapons to prevent the disease. The diet of breast cancer patients is the same as that of patients with other breast diseases. They should choose low-fat foods and stay away from high-fat foods.

Nipple discharge

Nipple discharge is another common symptom of breast disease besides pain and lumps, which can be physiological or pathological. Nipple discharge during pregnancy and lactation is a normal physiological phenomenon. Taking contraceptives or sedatives can cause temporary nipple discharge, which will return to normal after stopping the medication. Persistent, long-term discharge from one or both breasts without obvious cause is pathological and may be related to a certain disease.

Mammary duct ectasia

Primary signal: Nipple discharge

Other signs: lumps and pain in the areola area, swollen lymph nodes under the armpits, etc.

Mammary duct ectasia is a chronic breast disease with complex and varied clinical manifestations and a long course of disease, which is more common in middle-aged and elderly women. Mammary duct ectasia can be divided into three stages: acute stage, subacute stage and chronic stage. During the acute stage, there may be spontaneous nipple discharge at the beginning. When the nipple is squeezed, secretions will overflow. They are brown or bloody and purulent. As the disease progresses, the skin in the areola area shows signs of acute inflammation such as redness, swelling, heat and pain. Enlarged lymph nodes can be felt in the armpits, which are painful when pressed. And there are symptoms of high fever and chills. But soon, the symptoms will subside. During the subacute stage, multiple lumps form in the areola area with unclear edges, different sizes, and pain when touched. The patient will also feel slight pain. The swelling may rupture naturally, forming fistulas. After healing, new small abscesses will form, and this condition will recur over and over again without healing for a long time. The chronic stage is characterized by repeated attacks of the disease, the appearance of single or multiple nodules with unclear boundaries within the areola, which are adhered to the surrounding tissues. If they are adhered to the skin, local skin changes such as orange peel will occur, the nipple will retract and be inverted, the discharge will be serous or bloody, and enlarged lymph nodes can be felt in the armpits. This manifestation is very similar to breast cancer and is difficult to distinguish. The main causes of mammary duct dilatation are nipple inversion, uncleanness or foreign hair that block the milk duct. Or due to ovarian dysfunction, the mammary ducts may degenerate.