Chest and armpit pain

The symptom characteristics of chest and armpit pain are very consistent with the characteristics of breast hyperplasia. This disease is very common in life and poses a great threat to women's health. However, it is difficult to make a final diagnosis based on one symptom. We need to have a comprehensive understanding of the condition of breast hyperplasia, and then make a comprehensive judgment based on other physical symptoms to determine whether we are suffering from breast hyperplasia.

Under the influence of endocrine hormones, especially estrogen and progesterone, the breast will undergo changes in proliferation and involution as the menstrual cycle changes. Due to certain reasons, endocrine hormone metabolism is unbalanced and estrogen levels increase, which can lead to excessive breast tissue proliferation and incomplete restoration. After a period of time, the hyperplastic breast tissue cannot completely disappear, resulting in breast hyperplasia.

Clinical manifestations

There are different characteristics in different age groups. The main symptoms of unmarried women, married women without children, and women who have not yet breastfed are breast swelling and pain, which can affect both sides at the same time, but are usually more severe on one side. There is obvious breast pain before menstruation, which is relieved and gradually stops after menstruation. The pain reappears before the next menstruation. The whole breast has a diffuse nodular feeling and is accompanied by tenderness. The main symptoms for women after the age of 35 are breast lumps, with mild breast pain and tenderness that are not related to the menstrual cycle. When you touch the breast with your hands, you can feel nodules of varying sizes, oblate or irregular shapes, and flexible textures. The boundaries are unclear, and there is no adhesion to the skin and deep tissues. The nodules can be pushed. After the age of 45, it often manifests as single or multiple scattered cystic tumors with clear boundaries, often accompanied by dull pain, distending pain or burning sensation. In postmenopausal women, breast glands atrophy and cystic lesions become more prominent. The severity of breast pain has no correlation with the presence and range of nodules, and the pain may radiate to the armpits, shoulders and back. A small number of patients may experience nipple discharge. Since the cause of the disease comes from endocrine dysfunction, in addition to breast symptoms, there may also be irregular menstruation, bad temper, anxiety, anger, sweating and other symptoms.

1. Breast palpation

Women's breasts are uneven, and many women feel that the lumps they feel are just normal breast bulges. Before each menstrual period, these lumps become more obvious and easier to touch. In terms of the characteristics of breast lumps, fibrocystic breast disease often results in the discovery of multiple nodules of varying sizes and unclear boundaries in both breasts at the same time or successively, which can be moved. Breast fibroadenoma lumps are mostly round or oval, with clear boundaries, smooth surface, no adhesion to the skin and surrounding tissues, large range of motion, and a slippery feeling when touched. Breast cancer lumps are mostly single nodules with irregular edges. Most are hard in texture and often adhere to the skin.

2. Color Doppler Ultrasound

Convenient, non-invasive, and can be repeated many times. Based on the shape, cysticity and solidity of breast nodules and their relationship with surrounding tissues, a differential diagnosis can be made between breast hyperplasia, breast fibroadenoma and breast cancer.

It has a high diagnostic value and can clearly display the various layers of breast tissue and calcification foci. It has certain advantages in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions and detecting breast cancer at an early stage. However, it has poor imaging for young women and dense breasts (glandular density > 70%).

4. Breast MRI

It can quickly obtain high-precision images of the internal structure of the breast, without ionizing radiation and no adverse effects on the human body. It is more suitable for the examination of multiple small lesions in the breast, lesions located deep in the breast close to the chest wall, and patients with breast prostheses. Therefore, when color ultrasound and mammography show highly suspicious lesions, MRI examination can be further performed.

5. Breast lesion biopsy

In order to rule out malignant lesions, breast nodules can be subjected to lesion puncture examination if necessary. This examination is a invasive examination and is the "gold standard" for diagnosing and excluding breast cancer.