Conditions | Features | What Your Doctor May Recommend |
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Adenosis | - Small round lumps, lumpiness, or you may not feel anything at all
- Enlarged breast lobules
- If there is scar-like fibrous tissue, the condition is called sclerosing adenosis. It may be painful.
- Some studies have found that women with sclerosing adenosis may have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.
| - A core biopsy or a surgical biopsy may be needed to make a diagnosis.
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Atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) | - Abnormal cells in the breast lobules
- ALH increases your risk of breast cancer.
| Regular follow-up, such as: - Mammograms
- Clinical breast exams.
Treatment, such as: - Tamoxifen (for all women) or raloxifene (for postmenopausal women)
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Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) | - Abnormal cells in the breast ducts
- ADH increases your risk of breast cancer.
| Regular follow-up, such as: - Mammograms
- Clinical breast exams.
Treatment, such as: - Tamoxifen (for all women) or raloxifene (for postmenopausal women)
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Breast cancer | - Cancer cells found in the breast, with a biopsy
- A lump in or near your breast or under your arm
- Thick or firm tissue in or near your breast or under your arm
- A change in the size or shape of your breast
- A nipple that's turned inward (inverted) into the breast
- Skin on your breast that is itchy, red, scaly, dimpled, or puckered
- Nipple discharge that is not breast milk
| Treatment depends on the extent or stage of cancer. Tests are done to find out if the cancer has spread to others parts of your body. Treatment may include: Clinical trials may be an option for you. Talk with your doctor to learn more. |
Cysts | - Lumps filled with fluid
- Often in both breasts
- May be painful just before your menstrual period begins
- Some cysts may be felt. Others are too small to be felt.
- Most common in women 35-50 years old
| - Cysts may be watched by your doctor over time, since they may go away on their own.
- Ultrasound can show if the lump is solid or filled with fluid.
- Fine needle aspiration may be used to remove fluid from the cyst.
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Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) | - Abnormal cells in the lining of a breast duct
- Unlike cancer cells that can spread, these abnormal cells have not spread outside the breast duct.
- May be called noninvasive cancer or Stage 0 breast carcinoma in situ.
| Treatment is needed because doctors don't know which cases of DCIS may become invasive breast cancer. Treatment choices include: - Lumpectomy. This is a type of breastconserving surgery or breast-sparing surgery. It is usually followed by radiation therapy.
- Mastectomy. Surgery to remove the breast.
- Tamoxifen. This drug may be taken to lower the chance that DCIS will come back after treatment or to prevent invasive breast cancer.
- Clinical trials. Talk with your doctor about whether a clinical trial is a good choice for you.
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Fat necrosis | - Round, firm lumps that usually don't hurt
- May appear after an injury to the breast, surgery, or radiation therapy
- Formed by damaged fatty tissue
- Skin around the lump may look red, bruised, or dimpled
- A benign (not cancer) breast condition
| - A biopsy may be needed to diagnose and remove fat necrosis, since it often looks like cancer.
- Fat necrosis does not usually need treatment.
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Fibroadenoma | - Hard, round lumps that move around easily and usually don't hurt
- Often found by the woman
- Appear on a mammogram as smooth, round lumps with clearly defined edges
- The most common benign breast tumors
- Common in women under 30 years old
- Most fibroadenomas do not increase your risk of breast cancer. However, complex fibroadenomas do slightly increase your risk.
| - A biopsy may be needed to diagnose fibroadenoma.
- A minimally invasive technique such as ultrasound-guided cryoablation or an excisional biopsy may be used to remove the lumps.
- These growths may be watched by your doctor over time, since they may go away on their own.
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Intraductal papilloma | - A wart-like growth inside the milk duct, usually close to the nipple
- May cause pain and a lump
- May cause clear, sticky, or bloody discharge
- Most common in women 35-55 years old
- Unlike single papillomas, multiple papillomas increase your risk of breast cancer.
| - A biopsy may be needed to diagnose the growth and remove it.
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Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) | - A condition in which abnormal cells are found in the breast lobules
- LCIS increases your risk of breast cancer.
| Regular follow-up, such as: - Mammograms
- Clinical breast exams
Treatment choices: - Tamoxifen (for all women) or raloxifene (for postmenopausal women) may be taken.
- A small number of women with LCIS and high risk factors for breast cancer may choose to have surgery.
- Clinical trials may be an option for you. Talk with your doctor to learn more.
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Macrocalcifications | - Calcium deposits in the breast that look like small white dots on a mammogram
- Often caused by aging
- Cannot be felt
- Usually benign (not cancer)
- Common in women over 50 years old
| - Another mammogram may be needed to have a closer look at the area.
- Treatment is usually not needed.
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Microcalcification | - Calcium deposits in the breast that look like tiny white specks on a mammogram
- Not usually a sign of cancer. However, if found in an area of rapidly dividing cells or grouped together in a certain way, they may be a sign of DCIS or invasive breast cancer.
| - Another mammogram or a biopsy may be needed to make a diagnosis.
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