I don’t know since when, the word “breast nodule” appears more and more frequently around us.
In the shower: Omg, why is there a small lump here?
I did a physical examination: I found a breast nodule, what should I do?
Doctors make regular observation, what does it mean, are breast nodules related to breast cancer?
Looking at the Internet, many people say that breast nodules will disappear, and some people are afraid that breast nodules will develop into breast cancer. Today, Zhimei will tell you the truth.
First of all, it should be clear that the “breast nodule” on our medical report is not a disease name, but an image description.
B-ultrasound, X-ray, CT and other imaging examinations of small breast lumps can be called breast nodules when their nature is unclear [1].
This small lump can be a tissue change from an overgrowth, a benign breast tumor, or even breast cancer.
But in either case, once a breast nodule appears, in most cases it won’t go away on its own.
But you don’t need to panic about breast nodules, because most breast nodules are benign.
Health management of benign breast nodules or BI-RADS grade 2/3 nodules is routine follow-up, and surgery or biopsy is required only when the mass is rapidly growing [2] .
It is generally related to the following factors:
Genetic factors
Breast cancer is hereditary. If you have a family history of breast cancer and find breast nodules, you should pay more attention.
Endocrine factors
The mammary gland is regulated by estrogen and progesterone, and changes in the mammary gland also occur when endocrine disorders (such as imbalances in the ratio of estrogen and progesterone) or changes in the body’s hormonal cycle during the menstrual cycle , forming a hyperplasia or nodule.
Bad habits
Unreasonable high-fat eating habits[3], too little exercise will lead to the accumulation of fat in the body, and bad habits such as smoking, drinking, and sleeping late may induce breast nodules.
As a novice who does not know medicine, when it comes to breast nodules, it is inevitable to think of cancer.
But breast nodules are a manifestation of many breast diseases:
● Benign nodules such as breast hyperplasia, breast cysts, breast fibroids, etc. These benign nodules are rarely malignant.
● If the nodule is an intraductal papilloma, although it is also a benign breast tumor, it has a certain risk of malignant transformation, so doctors generally recommend surgical resection.
● Women over the age of 40, or women with a family history of breast cancer, suddenly develop breast nodules and need to be highly alert to the possibility of malignant transformation.
How to judge the malignant transformation probability of breast nodules? In fact, we can observe the risk level of breast nodule malignant transformation through a report: BI-RADS.
BI-RADS is a unified grading standard for evaluating benign and malignant breast nodules. It is represented by 0 to 6. The higher the grade, the higher the degree of malignancy.
Reminder:
When the diagnosis result is above BI-RADS-4 category, it is considered to have a higher malignant transformationChances are, you should go to the breast surgeon as soon as possible, and ask your doctor for a detailed evaluation.
All in all, if a breast nodule is found in the physical examination, follow the doctor’s advice to deal with it accordingly, follow up regularly or go to the hospital as soon as possible, don’t be too nervous, most benign nodules are not will be evil.
Contributing Author
Wang Huiling| Deputy Chief Physician of General Surgery, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital
Reviewer
Shao Bin| Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Breast Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital
References
[1] Wu Zhaohan, Qin Xinyu, Ding Qiang. Practical Surgery (4th Edition) [M] People’s Health Publishing House, 2017.
[2] Fan Na, Gao Ying, Wei Wei, Li Shu, Tao Fengran, Jiang Yunwen, Zhang Qing. Study on the influencing factors of the growth of benign breast nodules in women[J]. Chinese General Medicine ,2021,024(030):3799-3805.
[3] Li Rui. Analysis of high-risk factors for gynecomastia[J]. China Modern Drug Application, 2010, 04(13):203-203.
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