Cytology -Fine needle aspiration cytology Tips

A breast lump is a tissue growth that develops in the breast. Lumps can be of different types based on how they feel and look. The lump can be perceived as a growth, thickness, fullness, swelling, mass etc. If the lump appears in one breast, it might look larger than the other one. A breast lump can aggravate breast cancer, if a person does not seek proper medical attention on time. To treat lump, a surgical procedure known as the Mastectomy is often employed by on-surgeons. All breast tissues are taken out to prevent breast cancer. Often a surgical reconstruction of the breast is performed post a mastectomy.

What are the different types of mastectomy?

Modified radical mastectomy: This is a procedure that involves the removal of the entire breast including the nipple, tissue, lymph nodes, areola etc. It is performed for large tumors.
Total mastectomy: This is a procedure that involves removing the breast concluding areola, breast tissue, and nipple. A lymph node biopsy is required to perform this procedure.
Skin-sparing Mastectomy: This is a procedure that involves removal of the areola, nipple and the breast tissues but not the skin. A breast reconstruction procedure can be performed immediately after this procedure.
Subcutaneous Mastectomy: This is a procedure that involves the removal of only the breast tissues, but keeping the rest of the breast tissues undisturbed.

What happens before the procedure?
Mastectomy without a reconstruction typically takes about 2-3 hours to perform. A patient might have to spend a day in the hospital. If in case both the breasts are removed, a patient might have to stay more than a couple of days in the hospital. A sentinel biopsy might be performed before the surgery, to check the lymph nodes. A patient is generally asked to arrive several hours before the surgery is scheduled.

What happens after the procedure?
Once the surgery is over, a patient is shifted to the recovery room where, breathing, blood pressure and pulse is continuously monitored. A dressing bandage is wrapped around the surgical area. Since the patient is given general anesthesia before the surgery, she might not feel any pain immediately after the surgery but there could be discomfort, numbness and pain a few hours after the surgery. Pain medication and the antibiotic is prescribed, before discharging releasing the patient from the hospital.

How to prepare for the surgery?
For starters, it is important to reveal to the doctor, the names of the medications, supplements or vitamins that a patient might be consuming to her doctor. It is also necessary to stop blood-thinning medicine or aspirin, to avoid unnecessary complication with the surgery. Doctors typically advise not to eat or drink anything for 12 hours, before the surgery. A patient should be prepared for a hospital stay.

The presence of a lump or a tumor in the breast is not always indicative of breast cancer. In some instances, the breast tumor can be benign or noncancerous as well. Thus, to understand breast cancer better, one should know the difference between a benign and malignant breast tumor. In this article, we will discuss the factors that differentiate a benign breast tumor from a malignant one.

Breast Fibroadenomas

Breast Fibroadenomas are benign breast tumors that often affect women in their early 20s and 30s (can also affect women of other age groups). Research suggests that in spite of being benign and noncancerous, breast fibroadenomas make a woman more susceptible to breast cancer in the future.
It may be difficult to decipher the underlying factor that triggers fibroadenomas. However, increased use of birth control pills (that results in an elevated estrogen level) can be a contributing factor.
Thus, in spite of no discomfort, it is safe to get fibroadenomas removed by lumpectomy or by radiation therapy. There are also instances when fibroadenomas dissolved on their own.
Sometimes, the lobules of the breast can undergo enlargement resulting in the formation of lumps (can be a tumor or a cyst) that are non-cancerous in nature. Such tumors are known as Adenosis.
The benign tumor growth can also develop in the milk ducts of the nipples, a condition known as Intraductal papillomas (characterized by discharge from the nipples).
To stay safe and lower the risk of breast cancer, doctors often recommend the removal of the tumor.
Differences between Benign and Malignant Breast Tumors

One of the major factors resulting in a tumor is the abnormal growth of cells that could be triggered by an injury, infection or prolonged inflammation.
A factor that plays a pivotal role in differentiating malignant from benign breast lumps or tumors is its ability to metastasize or invade other organs, cells and tissues of the body.
A malignant tumor starts off as a primary tumor that remains confined within its point of origin. Gradually, the cancerous growth metastasizes, invading other neighbouring as well as distant cells and body organs (Secondary cancer or tumor).
Benign tumors, on the other hand, contains chemical adhesions that prevent their metastasis and invasion to the other vital organs in the body.
As compared to malignant tumors, benign breast tumors, once removed, do not recur.
On the cellular level, microscopic examination reveals that malignant breast tumors often contain unusual, mutated, and modified genes and chromosomes.
More than often, malignant breast tumors give rise to Paraneoplastic Syndrome. The Paraneoplastic Syndrome is characterized by elevated production of substances (can be antibodies or hormones) by the cancerous growths or tumors. The hormones or the antibodies circulate in the bloodstream and can alter the functioning of a host of vital body tissues and organs with deleterious health consequences.
Such things seldom take place in the case of benign breast tumors.

One ailment that affects a large number of women all over the world is that of breast cysts. Breast cysts are essentially benign abscesses that grow on and around the mammary glands. These cysts primarily develop on account of hormonal changes and are often assumed to develop naturally along with the development of breasts. These cysts are generally filled with fluids which can be traced around the milk ducts.

Cysts are usually reported among women approaching menopause. While some cysts are of temporary kind, there may be others with a more prolonged run. Early diagnosis and prompt medication ensure that their growth gets arrested at the earliest. Although it is necessary to be vigilant about these eruptions, one need not fear any further exacerbation. Most cysts are harmless in nature and do not proceed to breast cancer. The symptoms as well as the causes of the latter are completely disparate.
However some classes of cysts are more threatening than the others. These mostly comprise suspended solid elements besides the regular fluid content. Some might even have thicker walls compared to the others. Accordingly, they are called complicated and complex cysts. In these cases, one must exercise caution and get them treated immediately. Some of the most popular remedies include drainage through needle aspiration. On certain occasions, physicians also recommend biopsy. Wherein a different mode of treatment ensues. Other ways of tackling breast cysts are ultrasound guidance using local anesthesia. In most cases however, depending upon the traits of the cysts, physicians leave them unaltered. One might choose to remove them for cosmetic as well as comfort purposes. Women come to such decision because breast cysts prove to be painful during menstrual cycles and some might even resent its appearance.


One unavoidable repercussion of needle aspiration is that the cysts tend to come back periodically. Dealing with it then becomes a fairly tedious task. This has known to cause anxiety and depression in a lot of women. Counselling and support group can prove beneficial here. But, the most crucial factor in learning to deal with breast cysts would be generating more awareness with regard to the causes and effects of breast cysts.

Breast pain, lumps in the breast or discharge from the nipples are some of the more common complaints seen in women. Also, it is generally observed that such women are between the ages of 40-69. While most of these cases are benign, the diagnosis or the problem should be deciphered only after a detailed analysis of the case, symptoms, and history of breast cancer if any.

Breast Pain: Breast pain can arise from a condition called mastitis. It is generally seen in new mothers where the bacteria can enter the milk ducts through the cracks in the nipple causing an infection in the tissue. These infections can also be caused in menopausal women as well, it is more commonly seen in young mothers.
Lumps in Breast: Breast tissue changes constantly during a woman s lifetime and the changing hormone levels during a menstrual cycle can also cause such benign lumps. Benign lumps move as you press against them and can usually be seen in both breasts.
Nipple Discharge: While most nipple discharges arise as a result of a benign condition, it will need to be investigated further to understand whether it due to an abscess, an injury, birth-control pills, pregnancy/childbirth or hormonal changes.
Screening:

Breast Exams: The doctor will typically examine the patient s armpits and breast in various angles for irregularities in shape, inward-turned nipples or lumps. The armpits are checked for enlarged lymph nodes as well.
Mammography: This form of testing which involves x-rays of both the breasts is more effective in older women when the fat tissue is generally a lot more. In such cases, it is easier to identify other tissues from the fat tissue.
Sonography: Where an abnormality is discovered in mammography, the sonography helps to clarify things further. A lump which is filled with liquid are rarely cancerous and this can be done through sonography.
Risk Factors:

Most women are still not aware about the factors that can put you at risk when it comes to breast cancer. Compiled below are some points that can help understand the same and what can be done to lower the risk:

Age: While it is possible for any woman to get fibrocystic breast disease, women between 30 and 50 are more susceptible to such conditions thanks to the hormonal changes during this time.
Family history: If anyone in your family has been diagnosed with breast cancer then automatically your risk increases. Also, if the person diagnosed is in the first relation then the risk factor doubles and in case there are two people in the first relation who have been diagnosed then the risk factor increases by 5 times. It is also sometimes linked to faulty genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Exposure to radiation: In case you have undergone treatment and were exposed to any type of radiation near the chest area for any type of medical treatment then your risk of acquiring breast cancer increases. The younger you were at the time of radiation exposure higher is the risk.
Obesity: Women who have a BMI over 25 are more at risk of developing breast cancer than others. Further, obesity also increases the risk of recurrent breast cancer.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Women who conceive after 30 years of age are more at risk of acquiring breast cancer, as breast growth cells are immature and active before a full term pregnancy and mature only after it and regulate them. Further, not breastfeeding your baby for 1 complete year can increase your risk of cancer.
Alcohol: Alcohol has the tendency to damage the DNA in cells and increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Women who drink alcohol 3 drinks a week have 15% more risk of developing breast cancer, which further increases by 10% if you consume it regularly.
While most breast diseases are benign, it is best to check with your doctor about your condition and a possible treatment plan.

One ailment that affects a large number of women all over the world is that of breast cysts. Breast cysts are essentially benign abscesses that grow on and around the mammary glands. These cysts primarily develop on account of hormonal changes and are often assumed to develop naturally along with the development of breasts. These cysts are generally filled with fluids which can be traced around the milk ducts.

Cysts are usually reported among women approaching menopause. While some cysts are of temporary kind, there may be others with a more prolonged run. Early diagnosis and prompt medication ensure that their growth gets arrested at the earliest. Although it is necessary to be vigilant about these eruptions, one need not fear any further exacerbation. Most cysts are harmless in nature and do not proceed to breast cancer. The symptoms as well as the causes of the latter are completely disparate.
However some classes of cysts are more threatening than the others. These mostly comprise suspended solid elements besides the regular fluid content. Some might even have thicker walls compared to the others. Accordingly, they are called complicated and complex cysts. In these cases, one must exercise caution and get them treated immediately. Some of the most popular remedies include drainage through needle aspiration. On certain occasions, physicians also recommend biopsy. Wherein a different mode of treatment ensues. Other ways of tackling breast cysts are ultrasound guidance using local anesthesia. In most cases however, depending upon the traits of the cysts, physicians leave them unaltered. One might choose to remove them for cosmetic as well as comfort purposes. Women come to such decision because breast cysts prove to be painful during menstrual cycles and some might even resent its appearance.


One unavoidable repercussion of needle aspiration is that the cysts tend to come back periodically. Dealing with it then becomes a fairly tedious task. This has known to cause anxiety and depression in a lot of women. Counselling and support group can prove beneficial here. But, the most crucial factor in learning to deal with breast cysts would be generating more awareness with regard to the causes and effects of breast cysts.

Breast pain, lumps in the breast or discharge from the nipples are some of the more common complaints seen in women. Also, it is generally observed that such women are between the ages of 40-69. While most of these cases are benign, the diagnosis or the problem should be deciphered only after a detailed analysis of the case, symptoms, and history of breast cancer if any.

Breast Pain: Breast pain can arise from a condition called mastitis. It is generally seen in new mothers where the bacteria can enter the milk ducts through the cracks in the nipple causing an infection in the tissue. These infections can also be caused in menopausal women as well, it is more commonly seen in young mothers.
Lumps in Breast: Breast tissue changes constantly during a woman s lifetime and the changing hormone levels during a menstrual cycle can also cause such benign lumps. Benign lumps move as you press against them and can usually be seen in both breasts.
Nipple Discharge: While most nipple discharges arise as a result of a benign condition, it will need to be investigated further to understand whether it due to an abscess, an injury, birth-control pills, pregnancy/childbirth or hormonal changes.
Screening:

Breast Exams: The doctor will typically examine the patient s armpits and breast in various angles for irregularities in shape, inward-turned nipples or lumps. The armpits are checked for enlarged lymph nodes as well.
Mammography: This form of testing which involves x-rays of both the breasts is more effective in older women when the fat tissue is generally a lot more. In such cases, it is easier to identify other tissues from the fat tissue.
Sonography: Where an abnormality is discovered in a mammography, the sonography helps to clarify things further. A lump which is filled with liquid are rarely cancerous and this can be done through sonography.
Risk Factors:

Most women are still not aware of the factors that can put you at risk when it comes to breast cancer. Compiled below are some points that can help understand the same and what can be done to lower the risk:

Age: While it is possible for any woman to get fibrocystic breast disease, women between 30 and 50 are more susceptible to such conditions thanks to the hormonal changes during this time.
Family history: If anyone in your family has been diagnosed with breast cancer then automatically your risk increases. Also, if the person diagnosed is in the first relation then the risk factor doubles and in case there are two people in the first relation who have been diagnosed then the risk factor increases by 5 times. It is also sometimes linked to faulty genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Exposure to radiation: In case you have undergone treatment and were exposed to any type of radiation near the chest area for any type of medical treatment then your risk of acquiring breast cancer increases. The younger you were at the time of radiation exposure higher is the risk.
Obesity: Women who have a BMI over 25 are more at risk of developing breast cancer than others. Further, obesity also increases the risk of recurrent breast cancer.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Women who conceive after 30 years of age are more at risk of acquiring breast cancer, as breast growth cells are immature and active before a full term pregnancy and mature only after it and regulate them. Further, not breastfeeding your baby for 1 complete year can increase your risk of cancer.
Alcohol: Alcohol has the tendency to damage the DNA in cells and increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Women who drink alcohol 3 drinks a week have 15% more risk of developing breast cancer, which further increases by 10% if you consume it regularly.
While most breast diseases are benign, it is best to check with your doctor about your condition and a possible treatment plan.

Medical science constantly challenges the boundaries by finding not only the cures to the most dangerous diseases, but finds a way to prevent them even before they occur. With years of research, practice and data available for analysis, scientists are using advanced technology in combination with years of research to create a predicting mechanism for often fatal diseases like cancer.

Breast cancer screening has always been done with mammography. The fact is that this method is only 75% accurate, laden with false positives and misses a whole set of women totally- and that too when cancer has already developed. Part of the problem comes from the dense breast tissue which one in three women have. This tissue masks the lumps, which makes it difficult for mammograms to accurately screen cancer.

Some breakthrough scientific methods are changing this by drawing on years of research to predict this deadly disease, years before it can manifest itself.

A genetic test to predict cancer 10-11 years ahead of time
This test was performed to see how environmental factors could influence cancer, along with habits like smoking, abusing alcohol or hormones, genetic changes that occur and are put a large percentage of the women at a high risk of developing this disease.

A simple blood test is used for the genetic analysis of hereditary cancer. Researchers found a biological marker, methylation of the ATM gene, which has a very high ability to predict the risk of developing cancer, several years before diagnosis. 'Methylation' concluded that when one biological indicator is exposed to carcinogenic substances, or other abusive substances like tobacco and alcohol, it may trigger the development of cancer. On the flip side, this test will take time to reach the commercial market and even then cannot give an exact timeline as to when someone may develop the disease.

A simple blood test to predict breast cancer 5 years before it develops
This is the kind of medical miracle the world is looking for. Last year in April, researches in Denmark identified a simple blood test that can predict breast cancer five years before it actually develops with an accuracy of a whopping 80%.

It works by "measuring all of the compounds in the blood to build a 'metabolic profile' of an individual, in order to detect changes in the way chemicals are processed, during a pre-cancerous stage," says Laura Donnelly, health editor at The Telegraph, which covered this development. Danish researchers observed 57,000 participants over 20 years, gathering blood samples along the way, specifically comparing a set of 800 women who remained healthy or developed breast cancer within 7 years of their first blood sample. The researchers found they were able to predict, with 80 percent accuracy, which patients would be affected by the disease, just by looking at the metabolic profiles they built from the participants' blood samples. The results have been published in Metabolomics.

Are you living with the uncertainty of a lump in your breast? It's time you take the first step and consult a specialist.

If you are concerned about breast cancer, you should know about the steps you can take to prevent the condition. Breast cancer is a type of cancer developing from the breast tissue. Symptoms such as a lump in the breast, fluid flowing from the nipple, changes in the shape of the breast and occurrence of red scaly patches on the breast denote breast cancer.

You need to make certain lifestyle changes in order to prevent breast cancer. The ways you should adopt include the following:

Limit your alcohol intake: The more you consume alcohol, the more you put yourself at the risk of getting breast cancer. It is recommended for you not to drink more than one drink per day. Small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of breast cancer as well.

Abstain from smoking: There is a direct link between tobacco smoking and breast cancer, and the risk is even more in premenopausal women. You should quit smoking to reduce the risk of breast cancer along with many other conditions, which can develop because of the ill-effects of smoking.

Control your weight: Obese women are more prone to breast cancer when compared with women with a healthy weight. This is especially true when obesity occurs at a later stage in life, after menopause.

Keep physically active: Regular physical activity is essential for you to maintain a healthy weight, which is important for preventing breast cancer. 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercises or 75 minutes of vigorous exercises are recommended along with strength training.

Breastfeed: Breastfeeding plays an important role in preventing breast cancer. The more you breastfeed your baby, the more protected you are from breast cancer.

Limit the dosage and duration of hormone therapy: If you undertake combination hormone therapy for more than three to five years, you are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. In case you are taking hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about alternative options such as non-hormonal therapy and medications. If you still require hormonal therapy, you must use the lowest dose that will be effective.

Avoid exposure to radiation and pollution: Certain medical imaging procedures like computerized tomography involves radiation of high doses. There is a link between breast cancer and radiation exposure. Thus, you should abstain from getting exposed to radiation and avoid taking such tests if it is not very urgent.

Maintaining a healthy diet also helps in reducing your risk of developing breast cancer. You should include food items which are plant based in your regular diet, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and legumes. Also, consume healthy fats such as olive oil instead of red meat and butter.

While you cannot cure breast diseases, family history and maturing, but there are some hazards or risks that you can control. Keeping in mind the fact that there is no certain approach to forestall breast cancer, there are things you can do that may bring down the hazard. Here are five approaches to ensure your breast's well-being:

Watch your weight: Being overweight or hefty expands breast cancer chances. This is particularly true after menopause and for women who have put on weight as grown-ups. After menopause, the vast majority of your estrogen originates from fat tissue. Having more fat tissue can heighten your chances of getting breast cancer by raising the estrogen levels. Additionally, women who are overweight have a tendency to have more elevated amounts of insulin, than other hormones. Higher insulin levels have been associated with a few tumors, including breast cancer.
Exercise routinely: Many reviews have found that exercise is the sign of having a healthy breast. Studies show that one to two hours of energetic walking each week, lessened a woman s cancer risk by eighteen percent. Walking ten hours seven days decreased the hazard all the more.
Constrain liquor: Women who have two to five mixed beverages every day have a higher danger of breast cancer than women who have just one drink a day or none . As much as three to six glasses of wine seven days have been found to somewhat increase breast cancer chances. It is not clear how or why liquor raises the hazard. In any case, constraining liquor is particularly essential for women who have other hazard variables for breast cancer, like, breast cancer running in their families.
Restrain time spent sitting: Research has shown that sitting time, regardless of how much exercise you get when you are not sitting, increases the probability of growing cancer, particularly for women. Women who sit six hours or more a day outside of work have a ten percent more serious risk for breast cancer compared to the ladies who sit under three hours a day, and an increased hazard for other cancer types as well.
Stay away from or confine hormone substitution treatment: Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) was utilized frequently in the past to control night sweats, hot flashes, and other troublesome manifestations of menopause. In any case, specialists now realize that postmenopausal ladies who take a blend of estrogen and progestin might probably create breast tumors or cancer. Breast cancer disease seems to come back within five years in the wake of ceasing the blend of hormones. Therefore, get a breast cancer test even if you feel a small lump.

Benign tumors are noncancerous growths in the body. These are not at all like cancerous tumors; they do not spread (metastasize) to different parts of the body. Benign tumors can form in any part of the body. In case you find a lump or a mass in your body that can be felt, all things considered, you may immediately expect it to be cancerous. For example, women who discover lumps in their breasts during self-examinations are frequently frightened. In any case, most breast growths are benign and not dangerous at all. Actually, numerous lumps and growths all through the body are not dangerous.

For benign tumors, homeopathy is considered as the most secure, highly responsive and less costly type of treatment against all other treatments and it is used by a large number of individuals around the world. The medicines that homeopathy uses are made after taking the patient s entire history and body type in mind. It eliminates the disease or condition from its roots. There are a few medications that are accessible in homeopathy to treat these benign tumors. They are as follows:

Calcarea Carb: By and large, the person requiring Calcarea Carb is obese. Different established characteristics and behaviors of that person should be checked before its use. The first among these is the inclination to sweat a lot on the head. The second is his/her reaction to the chilly air. Last comes the unique requests in dietary patterns like a desire for boiled eggs and citric things like lime.
Sulfur: Sulfur is a similarly capable prescription like Calcarea Carb. However, which medicine will suit which person relies on his or her constitution. Much the same as Calcarea Carb, Sulfur has exceptional protected symptoms that a person should have in order to take it. People requiring sulfur feel outrageously hot sensations in their body. The warmth might be felt more in the palms, soles and on the head. For the most part, the skin remains dry and looks filthy.
Belladonna: Homeopathic medication Belladonna is valuable when Lipoma is difficult. The agony may intensify on touching the irregularity. Here, Belladonna will help in giving alleviation from agony, furthermore dissolving the Lipoma.
Thuja: Thuja is a homeopathic medicine that is of great help in treating benign development anyplace in the body. Thuja has an intense capacity to scatter the fatty accumulations in the body. In case a man with these tumors has high cholesterol levels, the utilization of homeopathic medication Thuja is exceptionally advantageous.
The exact reason for a benign tumor is not known. It takes birth when cells in the body start re-generating at an irregular rate. Therefore, homeopathy can help get rid of the same through effective means.