Is it serious if I have breast nodules?

The breast is an important part of a woman's body, and breast disease is also a disease that troubles many women. Women with breast diseases often have a feeling of swelling and pain, and breast nodules are one of the symptoms. Common ones include breast hyperplasia, tumors, benign or malignant breast tumors, etc. Breast diseases must be treated in time to avoid aggravation. In normal times, you should avoid wearing bras that are too body-shaping, and eat a light diet. So, are breast nodules harmful to the body?

Causes

The cause of breast nodules is still unclear and is related to a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Currently, the possible causes of breast nodule formation include endocrine hormone levels, gene mutations, and environmental influences.

Classification

1. Breast nodules caused by breast hyperplasia

Multiple, unilateral or bilateral, mostly in the upper quadrant. The size and texture often change cyclically with menstruation. The nodules become larger and harder before menstruation, and shrink and become softer after menstruation. During the examination, breast nodules can be felt that are irregular in size, with unclear boundaries with surrounding tissues, often tender, without adhesion to the skin and deep tissues, and able to move; breast pain is often seen in one or both breasts, with pain or tenderness. The duration of the disease varies, and most patients have symptoms of cyclical pain, which occurs or worsens before menstruation and eases or disappears after menstruation.

2. Breast nodules caused by breast tumors

Benign tumors can be single or multiple, and are more common in women of childbearing age. When palpated, the nodules are generally firm, with clear boundaries and good mobility. Malignant tumors are generally single, and are more common in middle-aged and elderly women. When palpated, the nodules are generally hard, with unclear boundaries and poor mobility.

examine

1. Breast palpation

2. Mammography

Round or irregular nodules can be seen on breast mammography films. Benign nodules generally have clear boundaries and regular shapes, while malignant nodules generally have unclear boundaries and irregular shapes, with visible burrs or lobes. Sometimes an "edema zone" can be seen outside the nodule, which is better for showing clustered calcifications within the lesions.

3. Color Doppler Ultrasound

It can clearly display smaller lesions in breast tissue and more completely characterize and locate the lumps. Deep nodules that doctors cannot palpate can often be detected; the capsule echo can be detected, mostly showing low or medium echoes; the echo of benign tumors is uniform, while the echo of malignant tumors is generally uneven, and the blood flow distribution can be displayed.

4. Histopathological examination

The nodule can be diagnosed histologically by core needle biopsy or excisional biopsy to determine the nature of the nodule. For inaccessible lesions, positioning can be performed under the guidance of molybdenum-palladium or B-ultrasound.

diagnosis

The diagnosis can be made based on clinical manifestations and examination results.

treat

The treatment of breast nodules should first establish a clear diagnosis. Through breast B-ultrasound and mammography, some nodules are considered to be most likely benign lesions and may be considered for regular follow-up observation. Some breast nodules require biopsy to clarify the pathological nature and further treatment plans are decided based on the pathological results. If it is a malignant tumor, multidisciplinary collaboration is required based on the patient's condition to develop an individualized comprehensive treatment plan, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and molecular targeted therapy.

prevention

Given that the cause of breast nodules is still unclear, there is currently no clear and effective prevention method, but relevant prevention and control measures can be taken for the high-risk factors of breast cancer, including a reasonable diet and a healthy lifestyle. Encourage breastfeeding, quit smoking and drinking, avoid long-term and large-scale oral contraceptive use, etc. If the patient has hereditary breast cancer, relevant breast cancer susceptibility gene testing can be considered to clarify and develop an individualized breast cancer screening plan, and preventive mastectomy can be performed if necessary.