Book Chapter

Breast assessment and benign breast disease

Mann, G. Bruce, Dave, Rajiv V.

2019

Overview

Management of breast disease has become increasingly specialised. A multidisciplinary, integrated and targeted approach is used. Patients presenting with a breast lump must be investigated using the ‘triple test’ whereby a thorough history and examination is followed by radiological with or without pathological assessment. This usually involves mammography and ultrasound scans, and occasionally magnetic resonance imaging. Sampling for histopathological examination may be guided by these imaging modalities. Surgical excision is performed when there is a lack of concordance in the elements of the triple test. The majority of patients assessed through a symptomatic clinic or via the breast screening program will have benign disease. Patients presenting with nipple discharge may have duct papillomas, duct ectasia, galactorrhoea or fibrocystic disease. Patients with a lump may be diagnosed with a breast cyst or fibroadenoma. There is a spectrum of indeterminate lesions that confer an increased risk of breast cancer.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
• Subject: breast cyst / breast lump / breast ultrasound / core biopsy / fibroadenoma / fine needle aspiration cytology / mammography / mastalgia / nipple discharge
• ISBN: 9781119468080, 1119468086