“I noticed a lump while taking bath, Could be cancer?

“I do not undergo surgery, is it curable with medicines?”

Structure of a breast

There are many factors that influence growth of breasts. These include nutrition and genetics, both because of hormone stimulation. Breast growth is one of the important things that happen during puberty. The hormones produced by the pituitary gland are responsible for producing a variety of hormones. One of the earliest signs that puberty has begun is enlargement of the breasts as a result of increased production of ovarian estrogen stimulated by these pituitary hormones. Boys also often experience breast enlargement during the early stages of their pubertal growth spurt, but their breasts usually shrink in size after one or two years. As long as estrogen continues to be secreted in females, breasts will grow and maintain their size. Naturally, breasts enlarge during pregnancy as a result of marked increase in estrogen secretion. Girls with poor diets and weight loss may notice that their breasts get smaller. If these girls improved their nutrition, their breasts would enlarge to their previous size.

      When a lump is felt in the breast, the first thing required to detect is weather harmful or harmless. The benign breast changes are harmless and malignant breast changes are dangerous.

      Common benign breast changes fall into several broad categories. These include generalized breast changes, solitary lumps, nipple discharge, infections and inflammation.

      Generalized breast lumpiness is known by several names, including fibrocystic changes and benign breast disease. Lumpiness, which is sometimes described as "ropy" or "granular", can often be felt in the area around the nipple and areola and in the upper outer part of the breast.

      The menstrual cycle also brings changes in the breast tissues. Many women experience swelling, tenderness and pain before and sometimes during their periods. At the same time, in one or more lumps a feeling of increased lumpiness may develop. This is because of congestion in the breast tissue. These lumps normally go away as the menstruation ceases.

  Benign breast conditions also include several types of distinct solitary lumps, which may appear at any time, large or small, soft or rubbery, fluid-filled cysts or solid mass.

Fibroadenomas
      Fibroadenomas are solid and round benign tumors that are made up of both structural and glandular tissues. So that named as “ Fibro adenoma”. Usually these lumps are painless, and a woman finds them by themselves. They are rubbery in consistency and can easily be moved around. Fibroadenomas are the most common type of tumors in women in their late teens and early twenties. Fibroadenomas have a typically benign appearance on mammography as smooth, round masses with a clearly defined edge, and they can sometimes be diagnosed with fine needle aspiration. Fibroadenomas do not become malignant.

Fat necrosis

      Fat necrosis is the name given to painless, round and firm lumps formed by damaged and disintegrating fatty tissues. This condition typically occurs in obese women with very large breasts. It often develops in response to a bruise or blow to the breast, even though the woman may not remember the specific injury. Sometimes the skin around the lumps looks red or bruised. Fat necrosis can easily be mistaken for cancer.

Sclerosing adenosis

      Sclerosing adenosis is a benign condition involving the excessive growth of tissues in the breast lobules. It frequently causes breast pain. Usually the changes are microscopic, but adenosis can produce lumps, and it can often show up on mammography as calcifications. Short of biopsy, adenosis can be difficult to distinguish from cancer. The usual approach is the surgical biopsy, which furnishes both diagnosis and treatment.

Papilloma

      Papilloma is a small wart like growth that projects into the breast ducts near the nipple. Any slight bump or bruise in the area of the nipple can cause the papilloma to bleed. Single intraductal papillomas usually affect women nearing menopause. Multiple intraductal papillomas, in contrast, are more common in younger women. They often occur in both breasts and are more likely to be associated with a lump than with nipple discharge.

Mastitis

      Mastitis is an infection most often seen in women who are nursing their babies. A duct may get blocked, allowing milk to pool, causing inflammation and then infection by bacteria. The breast appears red and feels warm, tender and lumpy. Sometimes, it may leads to abscess. Mammary duct ectasia is a disease of those women-nearing menopause. Ducts beneath the nipple become inflamed and can become clogged.

Malignant Breast Changes

      Most benign breast changes do not increase the risk of getting cancer. Recent studies show that only certain very specific types of microscopic changes put a woman at higher risk. These changes feature excessive cell growth or hyperplasia. Most of the women who have a biopsy showing a benign condition have no evidence of hyperplasia. These women are not at the increased risk of breast cancer.

      Few percent of the benign breast biopsies show signs of hyperplasia, including conditions such as intraductal papilloma and sclerosing adenosis. Hyperplasia slightly increases the risk of developing breast cancer. Lumps that are soft, round and smooth need not be cancerous. An irregular, hard lump firmly anchored within the breast tissue is more likely to be a cancer. Small nodes may be palpated in armpits, which are lymph nodes. The skin appears as dimpled and puckered and the discharge is bloody. However, these are general observations, not hard and fast rules. The only sure way to diagnose a solid lump to be cancerous is to have some tissue removed and examined under the microscope by the procedural biopsy.

Some benign breast conditions produce a discharge from the nipple. Since the breast is a gland, secretions from the nipple of an adult are not unusual, nor even necessarily a sign of disease. Importance should be given if there is any change in normal secretion. A milky discharge can be traced due to various reasons, including thyroid malfunction, oral contraceptives or other drugs.

       Women with generalized breast lumpiness may have a sticky discharge that is brown or green.

       A bloody or sticky discharge is due to an intraductal papilloma or carcinoma.

How to find?

      If you discover a lump in one breast, examine the other breast also. If both breasts feel the same, the lumpiness is probably physiologically. You should however, mention it to your doctor in your next visit. But if the lump is something new or unusual and does not go away after your menstrual period, it is time to consult your doctor. Note any difference in appearance between both the breasts, including differences in size or shape. The next step is palpation using the pads of the fingers feel for lumps. The same is true if you discover a discharge from the nipple or skin changes such as dimpling or puckering. You should not let fear delay you. It's natural to be concerned if you find a lump in your breast. But it's important to remember that most of all breast lumps are benign, which means no cancer is present. The sooner the problem is diagnosed, the sooner it can be cured.

No matter how your breast lump was discovered, the doctor will want to begin with your "history". The doctor will then carefully examine your breasts and will probably schedule you for some diagnostic procedures such as:

       Mammography.
       CT scan or MRI.
       FNAC (Fine needle aspiration cytology)

    Currently examination by the doctors and mammography are the most common and useful techniques for finding breast cancer earlier. Ultrasound screening may be helpful in narrowing the diagnosis for women who have suspicious breast changes. The only certain way to learn whether a breast lump or mammographic abnormality is cancerous is by having a biopsy, a procedure in which tissue is removed surgically and analysed by a pathologist for confirmation.

How to treat?

      Few girls may n worry about their breast development comparing others, same age group. It is important to understand that there is a lot of variation in the normal timing of breast growth. It is purely on hormonal stimulation, genetic encoding and nutrition. The development also related to the environment, emotions since it has influence on hypothalamus., which induces pituitary to starts its function. The stimulated ovary release oestrogen in the blood stream synchronously to develop the breast tissue gradually. Any block in the axis will result retarded growth as we see in developmental deformities in uterine conditions. Here hormonal stimulation can be possible with a suitable constitutional remedy.

The discovery of a breast lump usually causes anxiety bordering on panic among many women. Most rush to the nearest doctor and plunge into investigations and treatment, including surgery. Incomplete assessment and treatment, a false perception of cancer risk, a lifelong commitment to intensive and needless breast cancer screening, emotional and economic exhaustion are but a few fall outs that result from all this. The diagnostic procedure is part of the treatment. But remember only a few, as only few lumps will be malignant, while the other lumps are benign.

It is always better to look to seek a medicinal help, rather than surgery. Homoeopathic medicines have done wonderful job here! The proliferative pathology, which is shown as a fibroadenosis, pappilloma, and even malignant changes, falls under proliferation generally. These tendencies are inspired as miasms in homoeopathy. A suitable application will alleviate the complaints. Many had escaped from surgeon’s knife!