Are breast cysts serious?

It is well known that the predecessor of a tumor is a cyst, so when a cyst appears in any part of the body, the patient needs to pay attention to it. For breastfeeding mothers, if the milk flow is blocked for a long time, a large amount of milk may accumulate inside the breast, causing breast cysts. So if a pregnant woman has a breast cyst problem, is this condition serious?

What is a breast cyst?

Breast cyst is not a solid tumor. It looks like a "blister"-like structure. The cyst wall of this "blister" is a thin layer of epithelial tissue, and the cyst contents are mostly liquid. Simple breast cysts can be self-limited, and the disease can stop after 3 years or more, but sometimes it can continue and eventually lead to cancer, but the chance is very small.

What are the symptoms of breast cysts?

Breast cysts are divided into simple cysts (also known as cystic breast hyperplasia) and milk cysts. Both are benign lesions, covered by a thin layer of epithelial tissue, with the cystic contents mostly liquid, and appearing as anechoic nodules on B-ultrasound.

1. Simple cyst: The peak age of onset is between 35 and 50 years old. Patients often discover breast lumps accidentally. They are round or oval in shape, and may have one or more connected together. They feel soft and flexible but not hard, and can be pushed. The boundary with the surrounding breast tissue is not clear. The lump may shrink or soften after menstruation, or when other reasons cause increased secretion of fluid in the cyst, the cyst will rapidly increase in a short period of time, and the patient will experience local distension and pain. When pressing around the areola, serous discharge may sometimes be seen from the nipple.

Milk cyst: occurs in women during lactation or after they have stopped lactating. The main symptom is breast lump, which is round or oval with clear boundaries and good mobility, similar to a simple cyst, and the fluid in the cyst is white milk. Cysts generally exist for a long time. As time goes on, the water in the cyst is absorbed and the fluid in the cyst thickens to form a sticky cheese-like substance, making the cyst hard. This is a milk cyst. Generally there is no pain or other discomfort. When secondary infection causes mastitis, local breast symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat and pain will occur, and the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes may also swell. When pressing around the areola, milky white discharge can sometimes be seen from the nipple.

Can a breast cyst develop into breast cancer?

Breast cysts generally do not become malignant and the chance of developing into breast cancer is very low. However, you should be vigilant if any of the following situations occur. It is recommended to go to the hospital for regular check-ups every 3 to 6 months.

1. When ultrasound shows that some cysts present mixed cystic and solid echoes, the possibility of intracystic papilloma should be considered. When papilloma proliferates excessively, it may become cancerous, with a malignant transformation rate of 3 to 4%.

2. Patients with multiple cysts should consider whether they have cystic breast hyperplasia. Women with cystic breast hyperplasia have a 2 to 4 times higher risk of developing breast cancer than the general population.