Breast pain / cyst does not mean breast cancer

A patient was operated for cyst removal which was non-cancerous. After mammography twice the liquid from cyst was taken out but again it got filled after few months, so finally minor operation to remove cyst was performed with one day of hospitalisation. All adult females should learn self examination of breast for cyst/cancer. Many articles are also available on my website www.teensnparents.com for my students and clients.

Breast pain / cyst does not mean breast cancer.
Almost all females have tender, painful breasts at some time during their life. Do you suffer from regular pain then:
• is the pain related to the menstrual cycle?
• is it worse before your period?
• are both breasts affected, or just one?
• does the same pattern of pain repeats every month?
Keep a daily diary for few months to check these points. Every day, record whether or not you have any breast pain, whether it is mild or severe and which breast is affected and record the dates and days of the period.
Breast pain is very common – about 70% of females have it at some time. They found that less than 3% of these females – whose breast pain was probably quite severe – had breast cancer. And breast cancer is very, very unlikely if your only symptom is pain that varies with the menstrual cycle and both breasts are affected. It is common to have painful, heavy, bloated breasts before a period. Both breasts are affected at the same time and you may also feel the discomfort in the armpit or upper arm. The breasts may feel generally lumpy but there isn't one particular lump. One cannot bear to be touched sometimes, are pain-free for only a few days each month, or have to wear a bra at night because it is so tender when you lie on your side in bed. Cyclical breast pain affecting both breasts is not a symptom of breast cancer. It occurs because some female's breasts are particularly sensitive to hormone change and each month, the glands respond to the rise and fall of hormones.
There are a number of things that you can try to ease the pain during those days:.
• Wear a soft bra at night
• Avoid jogging, aerobics or other high-impact exercises
• get properly measured first before Bra selection
• If you are taking any hormones, such as the oral contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), consider stopping them for a while to see if the breast pain lessens. Breast pain seems to be common in females who have recently started HRT.
• Try a low fat diet. There is some evidence that high levels of saturated fats in the blood make the breasts more sensitive to hormone levels, so it may be worth changing your diet.
Most treatments for cyclical breast pain take several months to work, so you will have to be patient. Continue your diary when starting any treatment; this will help you decide whether it is having any effect. Consult your mother and gynaecologist.

Non-cyclical breast pain
If your breast pain has no monthly pattern and occurs in just one breast, it is known as 'non-cyclical breast pain' and shouldn't be ignored. Rather than a heavy, bloated, tender feeling, this pain tends to be sharp or burning. There is usually a very simple cause such as bruising from an injury, a sports strain, an infection such as a breast abscess, a viral infection of the muscles between the ribs, inflammation of the joint between the front of a rib and the breastbone, a lung problem. However, there is a very faint chance that it could be related to early breast cancer, so you should check it out with your doctor. If no cause can be dealt with, it is usually treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory