Conditions |
Features |
What Your Doctor May Recommend |
Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia (ADH)
|
|
-
Getting more mammograms and/or seeing the doctor more often
-
Taking tamoxifen
|
Cancer |
-
Abnormal cells dividing without control in the breast
-
Could spread to other parts of the body
|
-
Surgery
-
Chemotherapy
-
Radiation therapy
-
Hormonal therapy
-
Biological therapy
-
Treatment may depend on the stage of the disease
|
Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS)
|
-
Cancer cells in the breast ducts
-
Has not spread to other parts of the breast
-
May develop into cancer that spreads to other parts of the breast (invasive
breast cancer)
|
-
Breast-sparing surgery and radiation therapy
(with or without tamoxifen)
-
Breast-sparing surgery without radiation therapy
(with or without tamoxifen)
-
Total mastectomy (with or without tamoxifen)
|
Fat Necrosis
|
-
Painless, round, firm lumps
-
Formed by damaged fatty tissue
-
May occur after surgery to the breast
-
Often occurs in response to a bruise or blow to the breast, although a woman
might not recall being injured
|
-
Sometimes removed with surgical biopsy because it can look like cancer
|
Fibroadenoma
|
-
Hard, round, benign growth
-
Feels like rubber; moves around easily
-
Usually painless
-
Often found by the woman herself
-
Appears on mammogram as smooth, round lumps with clearly defined edges
-
Can get bigger when the woman is pregnant or nursing
|
-
Sometimes diagnosed with fine-needle aspiration
-
If the fibroadenoma does not appear normal, the doctor may suggest taking it
out to make sure it is benign
|
Intraductal Papilloma
|
-
Growth inside the nipple that looks like a wart
-
May cause nipple discharge
|
-
Surgery to remove the growth
|
Lobular Carcinoma In Situ (LCIS) |
-
Abnormal cells found in the lobules
-
Not cancerous but associated with a greater chance of getting cancer in either
breast in the future
|
-
Regular check-ups to look for signs of breast cancer
-
Tamoxifen may be suggested
-
Evaluation of breast cancer risk by your doctor
|
Sclerosing Adenosis
|
-
Too much tissue growth in lobules
-
Can contain calcifications
-
Often painful
-
Changes usually very small but can produce lumps
|
-
Clinical breast exam
-
Annual mammogram
-
More tests if breast changes are noted on breast self-exam, clinical breast
exam, or mammogram
|
More information on these conditions can be found on www.cancer.gov or by
calling 1-800-4-CANCER.