Breast cyst
Encyclopedia
A breast cyst
is a fluid-filled sac within the breast
. One can have one or more breast cysts. They're often described as round or oval lumps with distinct edges. In texture, a breast cyst usually feels like a soft grape or a water-filled balloon, but sometimes a breast cyst feels firm.
Breast cysts can be painful and may be worrisome but are generally benign
. They are most common in pre-menopausal women in their 30s or 40s. They usually disappear after menopause, but may persist or reappear when using hormone therapy.
Breast cysts can be part of fibrocystic disease
. The pain and swelling is usually worse in the second half of the menstrual cycle
or during pregnancy
.
Treating breast cysts is usually not necessary unless they are painful or cause discomfort
. In most cases, the discomfort they cause may be alleviated by draining the fluid from the cyst. The cysts form as a result of the growth of the milk glands and their size may range from smaller than a pea
to larger than a ping pong ball. Small cysts cannot be felt during a physical examination, and some large cysts feel like lumps. However, most cysts, regardless of their size cannot be identified during physical exams.
can be confirmed by ultrasound
examination, aspiration
(removal of contents with needle), or mammogram. Ultrasound can also show if the cyst contains solid nodules, a sign that the lesion may be pre-cancerous
or cancer
ous. Examination by a cytopathologist
of the fluid aspirated from the cyst may also help with this diagnosis.
Commonly, cysts are detected with the help of mammograms. However, the medical history
and physical examination
also play an important role in establishing an accurate diagnosis
. During these tests, the doctor will try to find out as much information as possible regarding the symptoms the patient has experienced, their intensity and duration and the physical examination is performed regularly to check for other abnormalities that may exist within the breast
.
As mentioned above, cysts are often undetectable at touch. Therefore, a mammogram can provide valuable and clear images of the breast tissue
. Generally, if there is any abnormality within the breast tissue, it will be shown on the mammogram. There are two types of mammograms available. One of them is primarily used in screening, and are ordered for patients who do not show any symptoms and these are called screening mammograms. Diagnostic mammograms are used on patients who developed certain symptoms of a breast condition or in patients whose screening mammograms showed abnormalities.
Patients suspected of breast cysts will normally be taken a diagnosing mammogram, although they are not suspected of cancer
. This type of mammogram provides the doctor with the possibility of performing a breast ultrasound at the same time and this is the reason why they are often preferred over the screening mammograms. Breast ultrasound is considered the best option when diagnosing breast cysts because it is 95 to 100% accurate, it provides a clear image on the cyst's appearance (simple or complex) and it may also distinguish between solid lumps and fluid-filled cysts, which a mammogram cannot do. Breast ultrasounds are performed with the help of a handheld medical instrument which is placed on the skin
, after a special type of fluid has been applied on it. The instruments picks up the echo resulted from the sound waves it sends to the breast. These echoes are transmitted to a computer which translates it into a picture.
Most simple cysts are benign and do not require any treatment or further diagnostic workup. Some complex cysts may require further diagnostic measures such as fine needle aspiration or biopsy to exclude breast cancer however the overwhelming majority is of benign nature. Cysts will usually resolve on their own after the fluid is drained. Otherwise, if the lump is not a cyst, the fluid aspirated may contain blood
or there may not be fluid at all. Whereas in the first case, the fluid is sent to the laboratory
for further examination, the latter circumstance is a sign that the breast lump is solid. This type of tumor needs to be biopsied in order to determine whether it is malignant
or benign
.
Lumps in the breast are often not found during self-examinations or physical exams. However, in some cases they can be felt at touch, especially if they are larger.
Breasts are usually lumpy or nodular
as a result of the hormonal changes that women go through during their menstrual cycle
. However, new breast lumps should always be referred to a specialist.
Typical treatment involves a Needle aspiration biopsy
. Aspirated cysts often recur (come back); definitive treatment may require surgery
.
Draining the fluid
and then waiting for the cyst to resolve it is the main treatment applied in these cases. Moreover, cysts that are aspirated and the fluid looks normal do not require any other medical attention apart from following-up to make sure it completely disappeared. Yet, hormone therapy
by the means of oral contraceptives is sometimes prescribed to reduce their recurrence and to regulate the menstrual cycle of the patient (which is likely to cause them in the first place). Danazol
may also be prescribed to treat this condition and it is usually considered in patients on whom the non-medical treatment fails and the symptoms are intense.
Surgical removal of a breast cyst is necessary only in a few unusual circumstances. If an uncomfortable breast cyst recurs month after month, or if a breast cyst contains blood-tinged fluid and displays other worrisome signs, surgery may be considered.
The development of breast cysts may be prevented to some degree, according to the majority of the specialists. The recommended measures one is able to take in order to avoid the formation of the cysts include practicing good health and avoiding certain medications, eating a balanced diet, taking necessary vitamins and supplements
, getting exercise, and avoiding stress
.
Although caffeine
consumption does not have a scientifically proved connection with the process of cyst development, many women claim that their symptoms are relieved if avoiding it. Some doctors recommend reducing the amount of caffeine in one's diet in terms of both beverages and foods (such as chocolate
). Also reducing salt
intake may help in alleviating the symptoms of breast cysts, although, again, there is no scientific linkage between these two. Wearing a supporting and well-fitted bra
may also be considered by patients with breast cysts as good support around the breast can reduce the discomfort and pain.
Cyst
A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct membrane and division on the nearby tissue. It may contain air, fluids, or semi-solid material. A collection of pus is called an abscess, not a cyst. Once formed, a cyst could go away on its own or may have to be removed through surgery.- Locations :* Acne...
is a fluid-filled sac within the breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
. One can have one or more breast cysts. They're often described as round or oval lumps with distinct edges. In texture, a breast cyst usually feels like a soft grape or a water-filled balloon, but sometimes a breast cyst feels firm.
Breast cysts can be painful and may be worrisome but are generally benign
Benign
A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...
. They are most common in pre-menopausal women in their 30s or 40s. They usually disappear after menopause, but may persist or reappear when using hormone therapy.
Breast cysts can be part of fibrocystic disease
Chronic cystic mastitis
Fibrocystic breast changes or fibrocystic breast disease is a condition of breast tissue affecting an estimated 30-60% of women. It is characterized by noncancerous breast lumps in the breast which can sometimes cause discomfort, often periodically related to hormonal influences from the menstrual...
. The pain and swelling is usually worse in the second half of the menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
or during pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
.
Treating breast cysts is usually not necessary unless they are painful or cause discomfort
Discomfort
Discomfort may refer to:* Pain, an unpleasant sensation* Suffering, an experience of unpleasantness...
. In most cases, the discomfort they cause may be alleviated by draining the fluid from the cyst. The cysts form as a result of the growth of the milk glands and their size may range from smaller than a pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
to larger than a ping pong ball. Small cysts cannot be felt during a physical examination, and some large cysts feel like lumps. However, most cysts, regardless of their size cannot be identified during physical exams.
Diagnosis
The cystic nature of a breast lumpBreast lump
Breast lump is a localized swelling that feels different from the surrounding breast tissue. It is a symptom/sign for a variety of conditions. As approximately 10% of breast lumps ultimately lead to a diagnosis of breast cancer, it is important for women with a breast lump to receive appropriate...
can be confirmed by ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
examination, aspiration
Aspiration
Aspiration may refer to:In linguistics:*Aspirated consonant, a plosive pronounced with a strong burst of air*Debuccalization, the conversion of a consonant to [h] or [ʔ]*Voiceless glottal fricative In engine technology:...
(removal of contents with needle), or mammogram. Ultrasound can also show if the cyst contains solid nodules, a sign that the lesion may be pre-cancerous
Carcinoma in situ
Carcinoma in situ is an early form of cancer that is defined by the absence of invasion of tumor cells into the surrounding tissue, usually before penetration through the basement membrane. In other words, the neoplastic cells proliferate in their normal habitat, hence the name "in situ"...
or cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
ous. Examination by a cytopathologist
Cytopathology
Cytopathology is a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level. The discipline was founded by Rudolf Virchow in 1858. A common application of cytopathology is the Pap smear, used as a screening tool, to detect precancerous cervical lesions and prevent cervical...
of the fluid aspirated from the cyst may also help with this diagnosis.
Commonly, cysts are detected with the help of mammograms. However, the medical history
Medical history
The medical history or anamnesis of a patient is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information , with the aim of obtaining information useful in formulating a diagnosis and providing...
and physical examination
Physical examination
Physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which a doctor investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. It generally follows the taking of the medical history — an account of the symptoms as experienced by the patient...
also play an important role in establishing an accurate diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
. During these tests, the doctor will try to find out as much information as possible regarding the symptoms the patient has experienced, their intensity and duration and the physical examination is performed regularly to check for other abnormalities that may exist within the breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
.
As mentioned above, cysts are often undetectable at touch. Therefore, a mammogram can provide valuable and clear images of the breast tissue
Tissue (biology)
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
. Generally, if there is any abnormality within the breast tissue, it will be shown on the mammogram. There are two types of mammograms available. One of them is primarily used in screening, and are ordered for patients who do not show any symptoms and these are called screening mammograms. Diagnostic mammograms are used on patients who developed certain symptoms of a breast condition or in patients whose screening mammograms showed abnormalities.
Patients suspected of breast cysts will normally be taken a diagnosing mammogram, although they are not suspected of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. This type of mammogram provides the doctor with the possibility of performing a breast ultrasound at the same time and this is the reason why they are often preferred over the screening mammograms. Breast ultrasound is considered the best option when diagnosing breast cysts because it is 95 to 100% accurate, it provides a clear image on the cyst's appearance (simple or complex) and it may also distinguish between solid lumps and fluid-filled cysts, which a mammogram cannot do. Breast ultrasounds are performed with the help of a handheld medical instrument which is placed on the skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
, after a special type of fluid has been applied on it. The instruments picks up the echo resulted from the sound waves it sends to the breast. These echoes are transmitted to a computer which translates it into a picture.
Most simple cysts are benign and do not require any treatment or further diagnostic workup. Some complex cysts may require further diagnostic measures such as fine needle aspiration or biopsy to exclude breast cancer however the overwhelming majority is of benign nature. Cysts will usually resolve on their own after the fluid is drained. Otherwise, if the lump is not a cyst, the fluid aspirated may contain blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
or there may not be fluid at all. Whereas in the first case, the fluid is sent to the laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
for further examination, the latter circumstance is a sign that the breast lump is solid. This type of tumor needs to be biopsied in order to determine whether it is malignant
Malignant
Malignancy is the tendency of a medical condition, especially tumors, to become progressively worse and to potentially result in death. Malignancy in cancers is characterized by anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis...
or benign
Benign
A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...
.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of breast cysts include:- A smooth, easily movable round or oval breast lump with distinct edges
- Breast pain or tenderness in the area of the lump
- Increased lump size and tenderness just before your period
- Decreased lump size and resolution of other signs and symptoms after your period
- Having one or many simple breast cysts doesn't increase your risk of breast cancer.
Lumps in the breast are often not found during self-examinations or physical exams. However, in some cases they can be felt at touch, especially if they are larger.
Breasts are usually lumpy or nodular
Nodule (medicine)
For use of the term nodule in dermatology, see Nodule In medicine, a nodule refers to a relatively hard, roughly spherical abnormal structure....
as a result of the hormonal changes that women go through during their menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
. However, new breast lumps should always be referred to a specialist.
Treatment
Breast cysts don't require treatment unless a cyst is large and painful or otherwise uncomfortable. In that case, draining the fluid from a breast cyst can ease your symptoms.Typical treatment involves a Needle aspiration biopsy
Needle aspiration biopsy
Needle aspiration biopsy , may refer to fine needle aspiration cytology , fine needle aspiration biopsy and fine needle aspiration , is a diagnostic procedure sometimes used to investigate superficial lumps or masses...
. Aspirated cysts often recur (come back); definitive treatment may require surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
.
Draining the fluid
Fluid
In physics, a fluid is a substance that continually deforms under an applied shear stress. Fluids are a subset of the phases of matter and include liquids, gases, plasmas and, to some extent, plastic solids....
and then waiting for the cyst to resolve it is the main treatment applied in these cases. Moreover, cysts that are aspirated and the fluid looks normal do not require any other medical attention apart from following-up to make sure it completely disappeared. Yet, hormone therapy
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy, or hormonal therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment. Treatment with hormone antagonists may also referred to as hormonal therapy...
by the means of oral contraceptives is sometimes prescribed to reduce their recurrence and to regulate the menstrual cycle of the patient (which is likely to cause them in the first place). Danazol
Danazol
Danazol is a derivative of the synthetic steroid ethisterone, a modified testosterone. Also known as 17alpha-ethinyl testosterone. Before becoming available as a generic drug, Danazol was marketed as Danocrine in the United States. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the...
may also be prescribed to treat this condition and it is usually considered in patients on whom the non-medical treatment fails and the symptoms are intense.
Surgical removal of a breast cyst is necessary only in a few unusual circumstances. If an uncomfortable breast cyst recurs month after month, or if a breast cyst contains blood-tinged fluid and displays other worrisome signs, surgery may be considered.
The development of breast cysts may be prevented to some degree, according to the majority of the specialists. The recommended measures one is able to take in order to avoid the formation of the cysts include practicing good health and avoiding certain medications, eating a balanced diet, taking necessary vitamins and supplements
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
, getting exercise, and avoiding stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
.
Although caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
consumption does not have a scientifically proved connection with the process of cyst development, many women claim that their symptoms are relieved if avoiding it. Some doctors recommend reducing the amount of caffeine in one's diet in terms of both beverages and foods (such as chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
). Also reducing salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
intake may help in alleviating the symptoms of breast cysts, although, again, there is no scientific linkage between these two. Wearing a supporting and well-fitted bra
Brassiere
A brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
may also be considered by patients with breast cysts as good support around the breast can reduce the discomfort and pain.