Conditions that should be checked by a physician include:
- An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast
- A new fullness or thickening that persists through one's menstrual cycle
- A mass or a lump, which may feel as small as a pea
- Persistent rash or redness
- Any changes in the skin, nipple, or contour of the breast
- Bloody or clear discharge (fluid) from the nipple
Fortunately, the majority of breast lumps are non-cancerous.
Diagnosing breast cancer
Breast cancer is diagnosed by taking a sample of cells or tissue from an
abnormality found during breast examination or by mammography. These procedures
are called breast biopsies. Cells from breast tissue are obtained by a form of
breast biopsy called fine needle aspiration (FNA). Breast tissue is obtained
using a surgical procedure that takes a core of tissue or by removing a larger
portion of tissue. For abnormalities identified by mammography (termed
non-palpable abnormalities), the stereotactic breast biopsy is used. This
technique samples but does not remove all of the tissue.
Cells or tissues that are removed are given to a
pathologist, a physician who specializes in diagnosing abnormal changes in
tissue. Pathologists have years of advanced training in determining which cells
and tissue are derived from breast cancer.
Treating breast cancer
If breast cancer is diagnosed, treatment plans are made to reduce the chance of
the cancer returning in the breast or traveling to a location outside of the
breast. Treatment of the breast itself can be done by one of two methods. The
first method is called breast conservation. If breast conservation therapy is
not used, then mastectomy (removal of the breast) is another option.
- Breast conservation strives to preserve the normal appearance of the
breast. It consists of removing the cancer portion of the breast and an area
of normal tissue surrounding the cancer. This procedure has often been
called a lumpectomy, a partial mastectomy, or a quadrantectomy. Some of the
lymph nodes under the arm are also removed. Usually, six weeks of radiation
therapy is then used to treat the remaining breast tissue. Most women who
have a small, early stage breast cancer are excellent candidates for this approach.
- The mastectomy procedures performed today are not the same as the
older, radical mastectomies. Radical mastectomies were extensive procedures
that involved removing the breast tissue, skin, and chest-wall muscles.
Today, mastectomy procedures do not ordinarily remove muscles and, for many
women, mastectomies are accompanied by either immediate or delayed breast reconstruction.