
Feeling a lump on your breasts can be a terrifying moment. 'Cancer' is the first thing that comes to mind but in reality, most lumps in the breast are not caused by cancer. Apart from cancer, breast lumps can be caused by non-cancerous growths, injuries and infections. The only way to correctly diagnose the cause of a lump in the beasts is through a biopsy. Hence, this is the first step towards treating a breast lump. From here on, treatment will depend on the cause identified.

Mastitis or Breast Infection

Mastitis is a painful infection of the breast tissue often faced by women who are breastfeeding. It can be treated with heat treatment and antibiotics. Massaging the breast while taking a warm shower or applying a warm compress. This will open up the milk ducts and should be followed by nursing the baby or using a breast pump to relieve the swelling and pain.

Abscess

Antibiotics are the first line of treatment against an abscess but this is effective only if given in the initial stage of the infection. In later stages, an abscess will need to be surgically drained.

Fibroadenomas

This is a non-cancerous tumour often found in young women. It is often difficult to distinguish between a Fibroadenoma and a cancerous tumour and hence these are usually surgically removed.

Fibrocystic Changes

In some cases, the breast itself is composed of knotted, rope like tissue. This is known as having fibrocystic breasts. If a new lump presents itself on fibrocystic breasts, a mammogram and an ultrasound are performed to evaluate the lump. In most cases fibrocystic changes do not require any medication or surgery.

Breasts Cysts

Cysts can be defined as fluid filled lumps. In some cases, these cysts become apparent at the time of ovulation and disappear after the period. In other cases, it may need to be drained with a thin needle. Cysts often recur and need to be re-drained.

Fat Necrosis and Lipoma

Fat necrosis is a lump caused by an injury to the fatty tissue in the breast. Lipoma is a fatty growth within the fatty tissue. In both these cases, no treatment is required but if it causes any problems, it can be removed.

Breast Cancer

If the biopsy reveals the presence of a cancerous tumour, you must immediately consult an oncologist. Treatment options for breast cancer include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and hormone treatment.

Treating Lumps and Pain in Breasts of Women

How to become less prone to cancer

There are various known reasons why cancer takes root in a healthy body. The deadly disease takes away millions of lives worldwide and remedies in food to tackle it are constantly a subject of research. However taking this one food item off your daily diet can help becoming less prone to cancer.

Senior cancer experts stress that sugar feeds cancer. According to his belief, backed by years of research and medical expertise, it is possible to starve cancer out of a person’s body. When sugar breaks down in the body in a non-oxidative manner, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is generated which causes cancer cells and tumor to grow.

Research states that cancer is a dysfunction of the mitochondria caused by fermentation of sugar in the cells instead of orthodox respiration of normal cells. This can be tackled by limiting the supply, just by cutting down the intake of sugar every day. A small amount of sugar in a healthy and requisite proportion is acceptable but excessive sugar must be avoided in order to choke cancer out from the body.

Specifically, the intake of sugar in processed foods must be cut down. Everything that is sweet isn't sugar! Avoiding processed foods will simply eliminate the bad salts and bad sugars from your diet. Eating at fast food joints too must be cut down completely as the food they serve is frozen and needs a lot of preservatives. You can always switch to fruits if you have a sweet tooth. Diet-wise, consume more green leafy vegetables, developing a plant and natural nutrient based diet is an ideal method to tackle cancer.

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Are You Aware That You Are Feeding Cancer Daily?

Fibroadenomas are benign non carcinogenic tumors that occur in the breasts of women. Although the condition may affect females of any age; spanning from pubescent girls to middle aged ladies, yet it is most commonly diagnosed in young women below 30 years of age. Fibroadenomas can be described as a stiff, smooth, supple marble under the skin of your breasts, which move when touched. These tumors which occur in varied sizes, may shrink or expand with time. Diagnosing through biopsies and treatment by surgeries are commonly employed for such a condition.

Types of fibroadenomas
Fibroadenomas are of two types: simple fibroadenomas and complex fibroadenomas. The simple tumors are usually harmless and almost look the same under the lens of a microscope. On the other hand, the complex tumors are comprised of macro cysts (large fluid-filled sacs) and calcifications (deposits of calcium) which can slightly increase the chance of breast cancer.

What is the primary cause of fibroadenomas?
Doctors aren't able to pinpoint the chief cause of fibroadenomas, but they have reasons to believe that the condition may pertain to the reproductive hormones. The condition may occur during pregnancy or during the use of hormone therapy, owing to which, the tumors may increase in size. The tumors are usually seen to shrink postmenopause, when the hormone levels start to dwindle.

Fibroadenomas are apparent and you may be able to detect them even without a doctor. The marble like tumor within your breasts are usually:
1) painless
2) firm
3) rubbery and elastic
4) easily movable

These tumors can range from being too small to as big as 3 inches or more in diameter. These lumps, which are usually harmless may be a cause of concern if they start to grow or change. Consulting a doctor is duly advised in such cases.

Risks
Fibroadenomas, only in the rarest cases, increase the likelihood of breast cancer. A complex fibroadenoma comprising of cysts or thick tissues called calcifications may aggravate your condition. Causes of concern could be if the tumor pains, a family history of cancer or an event of a questionable biopsy report.

Causes and Symptoms of Fibroadenomas

Once the reality of the positive pregnancy test sets in, dreaming about the yet-to-arrive begins. Curiosity about gender, options for names, ways to manage, shopping ideas, etc., begin to get discussed. And then totally out of the blue the news comes that there is a miscarriage. This is one of the most depressing phases. It is very important for the family to be around and support each other. While the entire family is upset and hurt over the news, the mother needs most care as there is just not emotional but a huge physical component also to the episode. On the other hand, remember that miscarriages are extremely common, and is no indication of a fertility issue.

The first step would be to diagnose and confirm the miscarriage. After that, depending on whether it was complete or incomplete, some medical intervention might be required. In most cases, medications like misoprostol are given to expel the uterine contents. These help by clearing out the contents in about a couple of days' time. In some cases, a D and C might be required if your doctor suspects that medication will not suffice. This also helps identify if there is any issue in the uterus that could have caused the miscarriage.

While the above take care of the physical part, the emotional component also requires cautious management. Needless to say, this is trickier than the earlier one.

Mourn to your heart's content - When you have nursed a life within you and have lost it, it is very normal to cry for its loss. There would be a mix of emotions - shock, denial, confusion, anger, grief, depression, etc. Take some solace from that fact that this is nature's way of removing unhealthy fetuses.

Get someone to talk to - Need not be your husband, but anybody whom you can talk to without having to watch words. A sibling, a good friend, a close relative - your choice. Make sure you don't pick ones who will judge and sympathize with you. More than sympathy, you need someone understanding and knowledgeable.

Socialize more - As you would have kept to yourself post your positive test, use this time to socialize more and meet friends whom you have not regularly been in touch with. Close family members, your children (if you already have), society groups, movie groups, etc., help to a great extent.

Formal medical counseling: If you are not able to cope with your regular circle of family and friends, try seeking professional advice from counseling.

Spirituality - Whether you believe in temple or churches, spend some time there. Involve in some religious activity if you would like, this helps very often.

As much as it is painful and traumatic, it is not very uncommon or unnatural. Get back on your feet, the sooner you do, the better.

Miscarriage - Ways To Recover

One of the most common issues with old age in men is the enlarged prostate. Any difficulty with urination (no constant stream, difficulty initiating, or incomplete emptying of the bladder for instance), and the first suspect is an enlarged prostate. These symptoms are followed by a digital rectal exam to check for an enlarged prostate. Once confirmed, the next step is to check for levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). If both the exam and the PSA are positive, it could mean prostate cancer. As with any cancer, it is believed that sooner it is diagnosed and the treatment is started, the better.

Historically, the best way to rule out the prostate cancer had been to do a prostate biopsy. This is a minor invasive procedure, wherein biopsies are taken from various regions of the prostate which are known to develop cancer (about 12). A disadvantage of this procedure includes missing out on the front part of the prostate which can also develop cancer. Secondly, it is not a very pleasant experience and given a chance, most men would not want to have it done.

There is good news for these men who would like to avoid prostate biopsies. The first is the multiparametric MRI which uses no x-rays and is considered very safe with extremely accurate results. This MRI exam requires about an hour, and once the images are obtained, the doctor will analyse these images and check for several parameters to assess for prostate cancer. The absence of cancer can be confirmed with up to 90% accuracy, which is far greater than with usual biopsies. If there is a possibility of cancer, then a biopsy can be done to confirm it. 

Also, these images indicate the exact region where cancer likely is, and this guides the doctor to biopsy only where absolutely essential. The chances of false positive and false negative results are reduced drastically. The one disadvantage here is that MRI detected biopsies usually tend to be of a higher grade which requires immediate treatment.

Another way to reduce chances of the biopsy by 30% to 50% is by the 4K test. It helps detect a variety of prostate issues including cancer. It can be used once higher levels of PSA is identified and before going for a biopsy. It combined 4 prostate-specific biomarkers with clinical information to accurately provide men with a risk of developing prostate cancer. It can be used even after negative biopsies to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

These two measures can drastically reduce the incidence of prostate biopsies, which is neither pleasant for the patient nor very effective for the doctor.

Prostate Biopsies - Ways You Can Avoid It!

Causes and symptoms of enlarged prostate

The problem of an enlarged prostate or benign prostate hyperplasia is a very common occurrence as you grow older. It's known to strike men above the age of 50, with more than 50% of men after the age of 60, having this complaint.

Causes of enlarged prostate

A non-cancerous condition, enlarged prostate makes the passing of urine from the bladder through the urethra difficult. The multiplication of the prostate cells causes an enlargement of the gland, leading to a buildup of pressure on the urethra, affecting the discharge of urine from the body. The narrowing of the urethra, due to this benign condition, forces the bladder to contract more vigorously so as to push urine out of the body.

As time passes, the muscles of the bladder get significantly affected, causing them to become extremely sensitive, thicker and stronger. As a consequence, the bladder begins to contract, even if the amount of urine in the organ is negligible, causing episodes of frequent urination. Gradually, the bladder fails to completely empty itself of urine due to the constriction of the urethra. This can give rise to a number of health problems including the formation of bladder stones, urinary tract infections, blood in the urine and so on.

How can you identify the signs of the condition?

Signs of enlarged prostate are very easy to identify and include:

- A slow or weak urine flow
- Difficulty in initiating urination
- Instances of frequent urination
- A feeling of not completely emptying one's bladder
- Frequent urination during the night
- Exerting a lot to urinate
- Instances of dribbling
- Urgency to pass urine
- A feeling of urinating again minutes after doing so
- Urination that starts and stops



What Leads to an Enlarged Prostate?

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