हिंदी
Breast cancer, the most common type of cancer afflicting women and infrequently males, is characterized by abnormal cell proliferation in the breasts that results in a lump or mass of tissues. Finding a breast lump, which is a growth of tissue that develops within one’s breast, through self-examination or with the assistance of a doctor, is one of the very preliminary ways of detecting breast cancer. Breast cancer can be treated when discovered early, and fatalities can be significantly reduced.
Since a breast lump may occasionally be an indication of breast cancer, self-breast examination and screening can find breast lesions before they become lumps.
Causes of breast lumps:
- The following are a few potential causes of breast lumps:
- Breast cysts, supple sacs filled with fluid
- Milk cysts, often referred to as galactoceles, are milk-filled sacs that develop during breastfeeding.
- Fibrocystic breasts, a disorder characterized by lumpy-feeling breast tissue that occasionally causes pain.
- Fibroadenoma, a rubbery mass in the breast tissue that is rarely malignant and moves about freely.
- Hamartoma, a benign development that resembles a tumor.
- A little, non-cancerous tumor in a milk duct called an intraductal papilloma
- Lipoma, a fatty lump that is slow-growing and noncancerous.
- Mastitis is a breast infection.
- An accident of some sort
- Breast cancer
How to spot breast lumps
Even while not all breast lumps are dangerous, it’s important to recognize them when you find one because some of them may be cancerous. It is important to understand how a breast feels when it is free of lumps and what happens to the breasts when a lump develops. Breast tissue typically varies in consistency, with the inner lower sections of the breast being rather soft and the upper-outer part of the breast being hard. Women’s breasts can sag during the menstrual cycle. Additionally, breast density tends to decrease with age.
Instead of performing a self-examination if there is a change in the normal texture of the breast, it is best to contact a doctor to have the lump examined.
Signs that one needs to visit the doctor
- One finds a fresh lump.
- One part of the breast differs noticeably from the others.
- Even after menstruation, a lump persists.
- A lump that has changed in size
- There are unrelated bruises in the breast.
- The breast flesh turns red or starts to pucker up like an orange’s peel.
- The nipple flips over
- Bloody discharge is coming from the nipple.
- Breast lumps treatment
Following a physical examination, the doctor may use the following methods to determine the etiology of the breast lumps if they are unsuccessful:
1. A mammogram is a 2D X-ray of the breast that enables medical professionals to find breast anomalies.
2. Using sound waves to create images of the breast, ultrasound is a painless, non-invasive treatment.
3. A magnetic field and radio waves are used in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to provide precise images of the breasts.
4. A needle is used in a fine-needle aspiration to draw fluid from a breast mass. Once the fluid is gone, benign tumors disappear. The fluid is further examined for cancer cells if it appears hazy or bloody.
5. A tissue sample is removed during a biopsy process so it may be examined under a microscope.
Not every breast lump needs to be treated. Antibiotics would be sufficient in the event that a breast infection caused a lump. Fluids must be drained from masses in cyst cases. If it is determined that the mass is malignant, it may be treated using:
Lumpectomy, or lump removal
Removal of the abnormal breast tissue, or mastectomy
Chemotherapy, which employs medications to treat or eradicate cancer.
Radiation that fights cancer by utilizing radioactive rays or substances.
