The most common reason for the female patient to turn to a specialist is a breast tumor. A mammologist, gynecologist, and oncologist are involved in the treatment of this ailment. In the world every year, more than a million women find in their chest various neoplasms. Some of them do not pose a particular threat and are treated fairly quickly, while others can be dangerous both for a woman’s health and for her life.
Why is the number of women with breast cancer increasing every year? Even experts cannot answer this question. While scientists argue about the insecurity of life in a polluted atmosphere and the dangers of smoking for the body, thousands of women find themselves on the table of a surgeon. Risk factors for malignant neoplasms include:
- age: the most common disease occurs in women during menopause;
- early onset of menstruation - usually up to 12 years old;
- lack of stable sex life, late birth ;
- the use of oral contraceptives;
- excess weight;
- the presence of breast implants;
Today, a malignant breast tumor is successfully treated only at the initial stage of the disease and only with the help of surgical intervention. As a rule, either the entire mammary gland is completely removed, or part of it affected by the disease is removed. Rehabilitation after the procedure takes a long period of time. After full recovery, a woman is required to undergo a medical examination twice a year. It should be said that any healthy woman should contact her gynecologist twice a year for a routine examination, so as not to lose this health.
Fortunately, the appearance of lumps in the chest is most often not a sign of cancer. A benign breast tumor can result from a hormonal disorder or a chest injury. Many women have a similar symptom every month. Before the onset of menstruation, the mammary gland grows, the breast becomes more sensitive and increases in size. This phenomenon is called mastodynia. If it does not cause inconvenience, there is no cause for concern.
The most commonly diagnosed benign breast tumors include: cyst, mastopathy, papilloma, fibroadenoma, lipoma. The greatest danger to the health and life of a woman is mastopathy and leaf-shaped fibroadenoma. The latter is always degenerated into breast cancer. Mastopathy until recently was considered incurable, medicine offered only drugs to slow its progression and prevent degeneration. Today, mastopathy is successfully treated, and not only with the surgeon's scalpel. Many drugs, including those made in Russia, not only struggle with the manifestation of its main symptoms: chest pain and tension, but also have a resolving effect.
Any breast tumor, if it is benign, implies conservative or surgical treatment. The first is to take special medications, most often hormonal ones, the second - to remove the neoplasm surgically.
The woman herself is able to determine the presence of a breast disease. Any change in its shape, the appearance of discharge from the nipples, cracks in the nipples - are an alarming symptom. It is recommended to start conducting independent examinations from the age of 20, this procedure is completely painless and does not take much time. Any breast tumor, as a rule, is well palpated by hand. If seals are found, you should visit a doctor (gynecologist or mammologist) who will prescribe an ultrasound scan, and based on its results, a decision will be made on further treatment. It is not recommended to wait until the neoplasm resolves by itself, and it is not recommended to delay treatment with a clinic, because even a very innocuous at first glance breast tumor, if untreated, can degenerate into a malignant one over time.