Now the thought of having a Breast Cyst or a tumor is one of the scariest things for a woman. But don’t freak out just yet if you get told you have either one. To be on the safe side, always perform self-breast exams until your yearly exam comes up.
Breast Cysts
Now with a Breast Cyst, it is a non-cancerous fluid-filled sac that is found inside the breast tissue. That’s when you touch it; it gives way and becomes squishy. Now Cysts can be found under the skin, deep in the breast tissue itself. Normally when your menstrual cycle is going, you can actually find the lumps you have been feeling have moved.
But just to make sure the cyst is non-cancerous they will use a very fine needle to extract the fluid. Normally cysts are not cancerous, but if you find a cyst in your breast do not just blow it off. Call your doctor and let them know that you found a cyst. That away they can have you come in and they can do tests to make sure it’s not cancerous. It does not matter if the cyst is small or big.
Tumors
Now a tumor is normally the same way, can be cancerous or non-cancerous. But a Tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. That can be found anywhere in the body, including the breasts. If that is the case, then the doctors will do a biopsy. This means they will cut the tumor out of the breast and put in under and microscope to figure out if it is cancerous or not.
Common Situations
If a cyst is not cancerous, then the cyst is normally left alone, unless the patient asks for it to be removed because it is bothering them. But with a tumor it will either be completely removed to do the biopsy or just a small part will be removed and checked. But normally, like the cyst is the tumor is not cancerous they will leave it alone, unless it is bothering the patient.
Now even though cysts and tumors can be either non-cancerous or cancer related. Cysts are less likely to end up as cancer, while a tumor ends up being cancer more times than a cyst. But if you do regular breast exams, then you are more well-known with your breasts and know when something doesn’t feel right. But if you do not do self-breast exams and decide to try it, you should go to your doctor first so they can teach you how to properly perform one.