Breast disease

Breast diseases can be classified either with disorders of the integument, or disorders of the reproductive system. A majority of breast diseases are noncancerous.^[1]

Breast awareness is a goal of the breast health movement. Rather than promoting the largely ineffective, formally structured breast self-examinations, breast awareness promotes informal familiarity with the normal state of a woman's breasts.

Neoplasms

Illustration of the early warning signs of breast cancer

A breast neoplasm is an abnormal mass of tissue in the breast as a result of neoplasia. A breast neoplasm may be benign, as in fibroadenoma, or it may be malignant, in which case it is termed breast cancer. Either case commonly presents as a breast lump. Approximately 7% of breast lumps are fibroadenomas and 10% are breast cancer, the rest being other benign conditions or no disease.^[2]

Phyllodes tumor is a fibroepithelial tumor which can either benign, borderline or malignant.

Malignant neoplasms (breast cancer)

Among women worldwide, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death.^[3] Breast self-examination (BSE) is an easy but unreliable method for finding possible breast cancer.^[4] Factors that appear to be implicated in decreasing the risk of, early diagnosis of. or recurrence of breast cancer are regular breast examinations by health care professionals, regular mammograms, self-examination of breasts, healthy diet, and exercise to decrease excess body fat.^[5]

Fibrocystic breast changes

Also called: fibrocystic breast disease, chronic cystic mastitis, diffuse cystic mastopathy, mammary dysplasia

Infections and inflammations

These may be caused among others by trauma, secretory stasis/milk engorgement, hormonal stimulation, infections or autoimmune reactions. Repeated occurrence unrelated to lactation requires endocrinological examination.

• bacterial mastitis
• mastitis from milk engorgement or secretory stasis
• mastitis or mumps
• chronic subareolar abscess
• tuberculosis of the breast
• syphilis of the breast
• retromammary abscess
• actinomycosis of the breast
• duct ectasia syndrome
• breast engorgement

Abnormal nipple conditions

Breast with an inverted nipple.

Abnormal nipple conditions include:

• nipple discharge
• inverted nipples
• supernumerary nipples

Other breast conditions

• supernumerary breasts
• gynecomastia (males)
• Mondor’s disease
• Paget's disease of the breast
• nipple discharge, galactorrhea
• breast cyst
• mastalgia
• galactocoele
• gigantomastia

See also

• Mammary gland

References

Further reading

• Irshad, A.; Ackerman, S. J.; Pope, T. L.; Moses, C. K.; Rumboldt, T.; Panzegrau, B. (2008). "Rare Breast Lesions: Correlation of Imaging and Histologic Features with WHO Classification1". Radiographics. 28 (5): 1399–1414. doi:10.1148/rg.285075743. PMID 18794315.