Therapy | Cyst in the breast

Therapy

Whether a cyst in the breast needs to be treated is decided by the treating physician on the one hand and on the other hand the treatment depends on the patient’s symptoms, size and personal opinion. Most cysts are harmless cysts. Many of them occur in connection with hormonal fluctuations and therefore often regress on their own.

A preventive measure against the formation of cysts can be the use of the contraceptive pill. In some cases, a doctor will then prescribe it outside the contraceptive effect. If symptoms such as pain or swelling occur, the cyst can be reduced in size by a puncture.

This measure is especially used when a cyst has existed longer and does not regress spontaneously. At the same time, the patient can also express the wish that the cyst be removed. Although cysts are usually benign, tissue changes are a cause of concern for many women and they therefore wish the cyst to be removed. Last but not least, there is a risk that malignant changes may occur at some point, especially in women with a family history of cysts.

Puncture

If a fluid-filled cyst is punctured in the breast, anesthesia is administered first. In most cases, the affected breast is only locally anesthetized. The doctor then punctures the cyst with a fine needle and sucks the fluid into a syringe.

The cyst is then punctured under sonographic control. This relieves the swelling and makes the cyst smaller. The physician uses a syringe to refill the deflated cyst with air.

In most cases, this air causes the cyst wall to stick together, forming a kind of scar. This cyst can then no longer fill with fluid. Therefore, no recurrence occurs.

Following a puncture, a histological examination of the cyst contents for abnormal cells is often performed. If abnormal or even degenerate cells are detected, the physician often decides that the remaining wall of the cyst should also be removed. This is usually done by a minor surgical procedure. This significantly minimizes the risk of a new cyst forming at this site or even a malignant one growing.