Benign Breast Disorders

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Benign, non-cancerous breast conditions that produce breast pain, breast lumps and nipple discharge are very common and they should be differentiated from a cancer. We are equipped to assess, reassure and treat most of the non-cancerous conditions.

Breast Pain

Breast pain is a very common symptom in women. Breast pain may be due to cyclical hormonal changes, breast infections, or due to musculoskeletal causes. Appropriate intervention will relieve the anxiety and reassure.

Breast abscess

Breast feeding young mothers may develop pain, redness and swelling in the breast due to mastitis and then form breast abscess. In the past, many of these patients were treated by surgery under general anesthesia and required a lot of time for the wound to heal.

With advances in image guided interventions, surgery, hospitalization, general anesthesia can be avoided and most of these patients with breast abscess can be managed with ultrasound guided aspiration under local anesthesia and antibiotics.

Nipple Discharge

Nipple discharge is a common condition that can occur in women as a part of physiological changes. However, if the discharge is coming from a single opening and if it is watery and blood stained it should be Investigated.

Breast Lump - Fibroadenoma

• Fibroadenomas are very common breast lumps in young women. Most of them do not need to be removed. They may at times require a needle biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and rule out a malignancy.
• Fibroadenomas do not interfere with pregnancy and lactation.
• Fibroadenomas have no additional risk for malignancy.
• There are no medications that will make them disappear.
• Not all of fibroadenomas need to be removed. Some of them tend to grow and change the shape of the breast, in which case surgery will be required.

Breast Cysts

Breast cysts are very common around menopausal age group. Cysts are not cancerous and they do not change into a cancer. They do not add to the risk of developing a breast cancer. However, complex and complicated cysts should be evaluated. Large symptomatic cysts may need a needle aspiration to remove the fluid to provide relief from symptoms.

Authored by Dr. Selvi Radhakrishna