18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in the Evaluation of Cancer Treatment Response
Fat Necrosis Of The Breast: Everything You Need To Know
Fat necrosis is a noncancerous lump in your breast that develops from dead or damaged breast tissue. In most cases, these lumps go away on their own and don't return.
Finding a lump in your breast can be scary, but it doesn't always mean breast cancer. Fat necrosis of the breast occurs when fat and oils collect into a lump that you can feel in your breast tissue. The lump isn't cancerous, and it typically isn't painful.
It can be difficult to tell the difference between lumps caused by fat necrosis and lumps caused by breast cancer on a mammogram. In order to make an accurate diagnosis, a doctor may need to take a sample of the tissue with a breast biopsy.
This article explores what causes fat necrosis, who's at risk, and how these lumps are treated.
Fat necrosis is a noncancerous lump in the breast that develops from dead or damaged breast tissue. When breast tissue is damaged, fat cells in the tissue die and release oils that form small sacs called cysts. Over time, these cysts can harden and lead to the formation of scar tissue.
When you feel a lump from the outside of your breast, it can be difficult to determine the cause. Even on a mammogram, your doctor may not be able to tell the difference between fat necrosis and tumors caused by breast cancer.
Fat necrosis makes up nearly 3 percent of all breast lesions. Sometimes, the only way to tell the difference between these lumps and breast cancer is to do a breast biopsy.
Fat necrosis commonly develops after breast surgery, radiation, or other traumatic injuries to the breast. While the lumps can cause some worry initially, they are harmless in terms of your overall health and don't increase your risk of developing breast cancer.
Lumps caused by fat necrosis are also rarely painful, but you may have anxiety until breast cancer or other problems are ruled out as the cause of the lump
What to do about a breast lumpTalk with a doctor as soon as you can about any lumps you feel in your breast. They can do an exam and run any necessary tests to tell you if the lump is fat necrosis or cancer.
Most of the time, fat necrosis goes away on its own, and any pain or tenderness from the necrosis can be treated.
Fat necrosis causes a firm lump or mass to form in your breast. It's usually painless, but it can feel tender to some people.
You might also notice some redness or bruising around the lump, but there are rarely any other symptoms.
It can be nearly impossible to tell the difference between a fat necrosis lump and a breast cancer lump by a physical exam or even with a mammogram. If you find a lump in your breast, it's important you see a doctor right away.
Breast fat necrosis vs. Breast cancer symptoms
While it's difficult to tell the difference between fat necrosis and breast cancer without a biopsy, there are some symptoms that may appear with breast cancer that you would not have with a lump caused by fat necrosis.
Possible signs of breast cancer can include:
It's not likely that you would experience any of these symptoms with a lump caused by fat necrosis, so it's best to see a doctor if you notice any of these signs.
Breast fat necrosis vs. Oil cyst symptoms
Oil cysts can also cause a lump in your breast and sometimes form along with fat necrosis.
Oil cysts are also noncancerous, fluid-filled sacs that form when the oils from decomposing fat cells collect in one place instead of hardening into scar tissue. Your body coats the oil sac with a layer of calcium (calcification), and the sac will feel:
Similar to a lump caused by fat necrosis, a lump is probably the only symptom you'll notice with an oil cyst. These cysts might show up on mammograms, but they're usually diagnosed with a breast ultrasound.
Oil cysts usually go away on their own, but your doctor can drain the fluid inside the cyst with a needle aspiration if it's causing you pain. This will deflate the cyst.
Typically, women most at risk of breast fat necrosis are of perimenopausal age (around 50 years old) and have pendulous breasts. Pendulous breasts have a longer shape and tend to droop downward more than other breast shapes.
Other demographic factors, such as race, are not associated with a higher risk of fat necrosis.
Fat necrosis is most common after breast surgery or radiation, so having breast cancer will raise your risk of fat necrosis. Breast reconstruction after cancer surgery may also increase your risk of fat necrosis.
You might find fat necrosis on your own if you feel a lump, or it might show up on your regular mammogram.
If you find a lump yourself, your doctor will do a breast exam, and then a mammogram or ultrasound to determine if the lump is caused by fat necrosis or a tumor. They might also do a needle biopsy to see if there are cancer cells in the lump.
If your doctor finds the lump on a mammogram, they might follow up with an ultrasound or biopsy. Usually, more than one test is necessary to make a definitive diagnosis of fat necrosis.
Fat necrosis usually doesn't need treatment and will go away on its own in time. If you have pain or tenderness around the lump, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can help. You can also try massaging the area or applying a warm compress.
Larger lumps that cause more discomfort can be removed surgically, but this isn't common.
If fat necrosis has led to the formation of an oil cyst, your doctor can drain the fluid with a needle and deflate the cyst.
Fat necrosis can cause a noncancerous lump to form in your breast. These lumps may be uncomfortable or cause concern, but they rarely cause pain or require treatment.
In most cases, these lumps go away on their own and don't return. A lump caused by fat necrosis doesn't increase your risk of developing breast cancer or cause any other long-term problems.
Your doctor may need to perform a breast biopsy to make sure your lump is caused by fat necrosis and not breast cancer, so it's important to talk with a doctor whenever you notice changes in your breast tissue.
How Breast Lumps Can Be Frozen Out
by ROGER DOBSON, Daily Mail
A radical new ice treatment is claimed to shrink and dissolve benign breast lumps. The painfree procedure takes just 30 minutes, requires no stitches and leaves no scarring.
The pioneering therapy is now being used in two small-scale trials to test its effectiveness at tackling cancerous breast tumours.
It is estimated that eight out of ten breast biopsies result in a benign diagnosis, with the most common cause being a fibroadenoma.
These lumps are commonly found in women aged under 30 and are caused by over-development of fibrous tissue in the breast.
The lumps, which may be about an inch in diameter and feel hard like marbles, can be diagnosed with a combination of physical examination, mammography or ultrasound, and a biopsy.
Once the patient is diagnosed, she is faced with deciding what action to take. The lumps usually remain the same size, but if they grow, or become uncomfortable, they can be surgically removed.
Many women who opt to have treatment to get rid of their fibroadenomas do so because they find them physically and emotionally unacceptable.
Until now, the only real treatment, other than ongoing observation, has been a lumpectomy - surgery which involves sedation or general anaesthesia, stitches and a two to three-day recovery period.
Scarring associated with surgery can also make future mammograms and breast examinations more difficult, because the scar tissue can obscure the breast cancer cells.
In the new Visica Treatment System, cold therapy or 'cryoablation' attacks the unwanted lumps in a technique similar to that used to treat prostate and liver cancers.
Doctors first use ultrasound to pinpoint the location of the tumour, and then give the patient a local anaesthetic to numb the area.
The tingling associated with the anaesthetic is the only discomfort reported by most patients.
A three-millimetre diameter needle or probe - about the width of a matchstick - is then put into the patient's breast through an incision so small that it requires only a small adhesive dressing and no stitches afterwards.
Once the probe has come into contact with the lump, argon gas is pumped through to create a very cold tip to the needle. The lump is rapidly frozen at a temperature of about minus 170C.
That low temperature is cold enough to turn the tissue into a tiny ice ball, which the doctor can detect with ultrasound.
THE sheer intensity of the cold makes the cells brittle and they break up. The blood supply that the cells need to stay alive is also frozen, causing them to shrivel and die.
Eventually, over the next few months, the lump shrinks and disappears.
The results from one study showed that patients' fibroadenomas had shrunk by an average of 92 per cent after 12 months.
'Patients were pleased with this simple procedure and were impressed by how easily their fibroadenomas disappeared,' says Dr Cary Kaufman, medical director of the Bellingham Breast Centre in Washington DC, United States, where trials were carried out.
'Several patients had previously undergone breast surgery for benign breast lumps, but preferred the convenience and comfort of the Visica procedure.'
A report of the study says that no long-term side-effects were seen, that the appearance of the skin and breast was 'excellent', and that patient satisfaction was 'exceptional'.
Ultrasound follow-up over the next 12 months showed progressive shrinkage, and in most cases the tumours disappeared.
The procedure has now been approved for use on benign tumours by the Food and Drug Administration in America.
{"status":"error","code":"499","payload":"Asset id not found: readcomments comments with assetId=175808, assetTypeId=1"}What Is Inflammatory Breast Cancer? Understanding Symptoms, Diagnosis, And Treatment
Dr Kirti notes, "IBC is sometimes mistaken for infections like mastitis due to its redness and swelling, particularly in younger women or breastfeeding mothers. However, its symptoms persist or worsen, underscoring the importance of thorough medical evaluation."
Also read: How Does Alcohol Consumption Increase The Risk Of Breast Cancer?
Diagnosing Inflammatory Breast CancerA timely and accurate diagnosis is essential to manage IBC effectively. Diagnosis typically involves:
Clinical Examination: A thorough physical examination of the breast.
Imaging Tests: Mammograms, ultrasounds, or MRIs to identify abnormalities.
Biopsy: Skin or tissue samples are taken to confirm the presence of cancer cells.
Staging Workup: PET scans or other imaging tests to check if the cancer has spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes.
Treatment Options for IBCDue to its aggressive nature, IBC requires a comprehensive treatment plan combining multiple therapies:
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Administered before surgery to shrink the tumour and address potential spread.
Surgery: Typically, a mastectomy (removal of the entire breast) is performed along with lymph node removal. Breast-conserving surgery is not recommended for IBC.
Radiation Therapy: Used to target remaining cancer cells in the chest wall and surrounding lymph nodes.
Targeted Therapy: HER2-positive cancers may be treated with drugs like trastuzumab or pertuzumab.
Hormonal Therapy: Hormone receptor-positive cancers are managed with medications that block oestrogen or progesterone.
Immunotherapy: For triple-negative breast cancers, immunotherapy with pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy can improve outcomes.
The prognosis for IBC is generally less favourable than for other breast cancers, primarily because it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage (Stage III or IV). However, modern treatment approaches are improving survival rates.
Dr Kirti emphasises, "The prognosis depends on factors like the stage at diagnosis, the tumour's response to treatment, and the cancer subtype. HER2-positive and hormone receptor-positive IBCs generally have more treatment options and better outcomes compared to triple-negative IBCs."
The Importance of Early RecognitionEarly detection and prompt treatment significantly improve outcomes for IBC patients. By spreading awareness of its symptoms and encouraging proactive medical care, lives can be saved.
Dr Kirti concludes, "While IBC is challenging to treat, advancements in cancer therapies are offering new hope to patients. Recognising symptoms early and seeking medical attention promptly are critical in improving survival rates."
Inflammatory Breast Cancer serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance in breast health. Understanding its symptoms and acting quickly can make all the difference.
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