The fibroadenoma
Fibroadenomas are the most common benign lumps in the female breast and mostly affect young women between 20 and 40 years of age. They usually occur unilaterally and usually do not cause any discomfort, but are painful in some cases. When palpating the breast, a round or lobular lump is palpated, which can be easily moved and is not caked to the surrounding tissue.
In most cases, ultrasound and mammography can identify the lump as a fibroadenoma and thus as benign. Only in cases of doubt should a biopsy and examination of the tissue be performed. You can find detailed information on this topic here: The fibroadenoma
Fluid secretion from the nipple
The secretion of fluid from one or both nipples can be either harmless or the symptom of many different diseases. A slight secretion can be induced in many women by manual stimulation of the breasts and nipples and is completely harmless. Among the possible diseases that cause secretion of fluid from the nipples are hormonal disorders (hyperprolactinemia, an elevated blood level of prolactin) and benign and malignant changes in breast tissue. Depending on the color of the secreted fluid and other symptoms, other causes are conceivable, which is why a clarification by a gynecologist is advisable.
Breast cancer (breast carcinoma)
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, approximately every 8th-10th woman will develop breast cancer during her lifetime, the frequency increases with age. About 5% of all breast cancers are caused by familial gene alterations. The affected women usually develop breast cancer earlier.The starting point of the malignant change is either the milk ducts (ductal carcinoma) or the glandular lobules (lobular carcinoma).
Metastases can be found either along the lymph channels in the armpit and in the area of the collarbone or along the bloodstream as distant metastases in bones, lungs, liver, ovaries and central nervous system. The most common symptom of breast cancer is a palpable lump, half of the malignant lumps are located in the upper outer quadrant. Other symptoms include skin changes, changes in size and shape, pain, burning, itching, secretions from the nipple and swollen lymph nodes in the armpit.
The diagnosis is made by means of palpation, mammography and ultrasound examination. A biopsy (tissue sample) is then performed to determine the histological type of the tissue change. The therapy and the extent of the operation is determined by this.
Approximately 70% of breast carcinomas can be operated with breast-conserving surgery. In addition, the lymph nodes of the armpit are removed and radiation therapy is always performed afterwards. Other complementary therapy methods are chemotherapy, hormone therapy or antibody therapy, which are carried out depending on the type of breast cancer.
Removal of the entire mammary gland, the lymph nodes in the armpit and the breast muscle fascia is necessary if the malignant node is too large or if the tissue type of the breast carcinoma should not be operated to preserve the breast. The prognosis of breast cancer is good if no distant metastases have been found at the time of diagnosis. In order to detect a possible recurrence at an early stage, close follow-up examinations are carried out after the therapy.
