Research on Breast Lump and Cancer: A Must read for every Woman.

I am not a medical Doctor, but I took out time to do a research on this topic and I decided to summarized the  facts that I gathered on the following points below.

What is a Breast Lump

 According to Mayo Clinic Staff, a breast lump is a growth of tissue that develops within your breast. Different types of breast lumps can vary in the way they look and feel. You may perceive a lump as a mass, growth, swelling, thickness or fullness.

When you feel a lump in your Breast, it's understandable to be concerned. But don't jump to conclusions of the following, that :

1.  A Breast Lump Is Probably Cancer
2.  If You Have a Lump but Your Mammogram Is Normal, You're Done.
3.  Cancerous Breast Lumps Are Always Painless
4.  If You Find a Lump While Breastfeeding, It Can't Be Cancer.
5. If You're Young, a Breast Lump Can't Be Cancer
6. A Small Lump Is Less Likely to Be Cancer Than a Large Lump 
7. If You Feel a Lump Soon After a Mammogram, It's OK to Wait Another Year
8. A Lump Is Probably Harmless If There's No Breast Cancer in Your Family

 Instead, take action. Call your doctor to find out what it is.

What is a mammogram?

 A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast.

According to National Cancer Institute, 'Mammograms can be used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease'.
This type of mammogram is called a screening mammogram. Screening mammograms usually involve two x-ray pictures, or images, of each breast. The x-ray images make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt. Screening mammograms can also find microcalcifications (tiny deposits of Calcium) that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.

Mammograms can also be used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease has been found. This type of mammogram is called a diagnostic mammogram. Besides a lump, signs of breast cancer can include breast pain, thickening of the skin of the breast,Nipple Discharge, or a change in breast size or shape; however, these signs may also be signs of Benign conditions. A diagnostic mammogram can also be used to evaluate changes found during a screening mammogram or to view breast tissue when it is difficult to obtain a screening mammogram because of special circumstances, such as the presence of breast implants.

Non-Cancerous (Benign) Breast Conditions

Non-cancerous breast conditions are very common. Further, most breast changes that are biopsied and viewed under a microscope produce benign results.

Although benign breast conditions are not life-threatening, they may cause bothersome symptoms and are occasionally associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer in the future. Management of such findings should be directed by your primary health care provider.

Fibrocystic Changes

Fibrocystic changes (FCCs), a term used by physicians, describe a number of non-cancerous conditions occurring in the breast. These conditions are found in the breast as lumps or masses that often change with the menstrual cycle and may be accompanied by pain and tenderness. Previously, the term "fibrocystic disease" was used to describe the process and was falsely implicated as a risk factor for breast cancer. 

However, at least 50 percent of all women have lumpy, irregular-feeling breasts. These changes are a normal response to the hormonal stimulation of the breast tissue and do not represent a "disease" process. The term fibrocystic change is commonly applied to any change that is not cancerous. Because there is no exact clinical definition, ask your physician precisely what types of changes have been found in your breast tissue if you receive the diagnosis of fibrocystic changes.

Breast Pain

Pain in the breast is referred to as mastalgia or mastodynia. Pain may be characterized as cyclic or noncyclic. Your health care provider’s examination and a mammogram can most often determine the cause of the pain. Breast pain may be uncomfortable and annoying, but it is rarely caused by cancer.

Most pain is due to hormonal or benign breast conditions. In studies of women diagnosed with breast cancer, less than 10 percent had any pain. Pain with breast cancer is characterized by focal constant discomfort (pain in one area independent of palpation). However, all breast pain needs evaluation to determine its cause.

Nipple Discharge

Breast discharge is a common complaint with three possible causes: 1) a hormonal imbalance, 2) a response to medications, or 3) a lesion or diseased breast. Studies have shown that nipple discharge can be found in 50 to 80 percent of women with no disease being present. 

Most women have a small amount of discharge when their breasts are squeezed. This is normal, but all discharge needs to be evaluated by your health care provider to determine the primary cause.

Duct Ectasia

Duct Ectasia is a benign condition that occurs most frequently around the time of menopause. The large ducts near the nipples enlarge and become filled with cellular waste that accumulates or is blocked in the duct. The nipple may discharge gray or greenish fluid. Antibiotics usually relieve the condition.

Mastitis

Mastitis is a condition of inflammation or infection of the breast. It occurs when bacteria enter the ducts through an open area of the nipple. The bacteria move to the ducts and begin to grow in the milk. The breast becomes swollen, tender and warm. 

Breastfeeding women are most likely to develop mastitis, but the condition can occur in women who are not lactating (producing milk) and rarely in men. Your health care provider should be notified at the first sign of any symptoms.

Atypical Hyperpalsia

Hyperplasia is an overgrowth of the cells within the breast that line either the ducts or the lobules. Hyperplasia is classified as mild (no increased risk of breast cancer), usual (slightly higher risk of breast cancer), or atypical (4 to 5 times greater risk of developing breast cancer).

Sclerosing Adenosis

In adenosis, the breast lobules are enlarged and contain more glands than usual. If several enlarged lobules are within close proximity, they may be large enough to be felt as a mass or nodule. However, a biopsy is usually necessary to confirm adenosis, as the lumps are difficult to distinguish from cancer during a breast exam.

Breast Cysts

Breast cysts are a common, benign finding found in women 25 to 50 years of age. Cysts are most likely to occur during the years right before menopause. Cysts may vary in size, ranging from microscopic (microcyst) to large (macrocyst). Cysts tend to occur in both breasts, with more than one cyst appearing in each breast and with a combination of both microcysts and macrocysts. 

The cysts fill with fluid and often develop quickly into large lumps that can be felt. They range from spongy-soft to firm in consistency. The outside surface feels smooth, and is usually round or oval in shape. When feeling the cyst, it will move freely in the breast, as if it could slip from under your fingers. When cysts are identified by touch or mammography, they are often confirmed by ultrasound.

Papillomas

Papillomas are benign, usually tiny, wart-like growths found in the large ducts of the breast near the nipple area. They may occur as a single growth or in groups. Often, a bloody discharge is seen coming from one nipple and not the other. These most often appear in women 35 to 50 years of age and are usually painless. If multiple papillomas come together to form a mass, they may cause pain.

Fibroadenoma

Fibroadenomas are benign tumors most commonly found in women 20 to 40 years old. The use of birth control pills before age 20 may increase a woman's risk of fibroadenomas. Fibroadenomas tend to be round and firm, and may feel like a marble within the breast.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; SEXUAL VIOLENCE.

Sexual violence is "any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting. It includes rape, defined as the physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration of the vulva or anus with a penis, other body part or object."

It will not be wrong to state emphatically that it is the women that suffers most. They are always victim to such violence. Consent is very important before penetration.
It is wrong to punish a woman because you want to have sex with her as a man against her Will, it does not matter the circumstances surrounding your meeting, her right before penetration still stands.
According to the first report of ''WHO Mult-country study on women's health and domestic violence against women'' (2005) low-middle income countries found that, among women aged 15-49 :
1. Between 15% of women in Japan and 71% of women in Ethiopia reported physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime;
2. Between 0.3–11.5% of women reported sexual violence by someone other than a partner since the age of 15 years;
3. And the first sexual experience for many women was reported as forced – 17% of women in rural Tanzania, 24% in rural Peru, and 30% in rural Bangladesh reported that their first sexual experiences.

In fact I have seen a situation where a man can't enjoy sex with his wife without being violent with the woman. When a woman is not ready to have sex, she deserves to be respected. Doing otherwise is very wrong both morally and legally.

Risk factors for sexual violence include:
1. Lower levels of education
2. Exposure to child maltreatment
3. Witnessing family violence
4. Antisocial personality disorder or Low self-esteem
5. Harmful use of alcohol
6. Having multiple partners or suspected by their partners of infidelity and
7. Attitudes that are accepting of violence and gender inequality.



I STAND WITH WOMEN AND I SAY NO TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE!