How to treat nodular hyperplasia of the breast?

Written by Fan Hong Qiao
Breast Health Department
Updated on September 22, 2024
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According to different pathological types, clinically, there are simple hyperplasia of the breast and cystic hyperplasia of the breast, and the treatment methods are different. For simple breast hyperplasia: If the patient has no symptoms such as pain, medication treatment can be considered unnecessary. Maintaining a regular lifestyle, relaxing, and eating less high-fat food and fewer caffeine-containing beverages are beneficial. If the pain affects normal life and work, timely treatment is needed to alleviate the pain. Surgery is generally not recommended unless the hyperplastic lumps cannot be ruled out for malignant transformation. For the treatment of cystic breast hyperplasia: If the cyst is small and the symptoms are mild, endocrine treatment can be carried out; if the cyst is large, has symptoms of compression, or if ultrasound suggests thickening of the cyst wall, rich blood supply, or intra-cystic tumors, or if the patient worries about cancer transformation causing significant mental stress, surgical treatment can be considered.

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Written by Fan Hong Qiao
Breast Health Department
1min 29sec home-news-image

What is the best way to manage breast hyperplasia?

Patients with mammary gland hyperplasia should maintain a regular routine in their daily lives. Improving work and study efficiency, changing lifestyle habits of staying up late and sleeping during the day, relieving stress in time, maintaining a good mood, and regular exercise can all be helpful. Avoid trying breast massages and essential oil breast enhancement treatments at beauty salons too readily, as some essential oils illegally add estrogens, which can exacerbate the symptoms of mammary gland hyperplasia. Additionally, adhere to healthy dietary habits, avoid high-calorie junk food, and do not blindly take so-called hormone-based health products that claim to delay aging and improve skin. If the pain is unbearable and severely affects daily life, consider taking some symptom-relieving medication under a doctor's guidance rather than blindly following traditional dietary remedies. The most important point: whether symptoms are present or not, regular hospital check-ups are essential. Annual specialized medical examinations at the hospital are necessary. Women under 40 should have an ultrasound examination once a year, and those over 40 should have an ultrasound plus a mammography every year to ensure early detection of any potential health issues. Women with a family history and higher risk factors should have even more frequent check-ups.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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Symptoms of breast hyperplasia

Breast hyperplasia usually manifests as cyclical symptoms such as swelling, pain, and tenderness that often occur or worsen before menstruation and may decrease or disappear after menstruation. Minor cases might not be a concern for patients, but severe cases can affect daily life and work. Symptoms might include pain in one or both breasts, which can extend to the shoulders, upper limbs, or shoulder blades. Additionally, a small number of people might experience nipple discharge, which could be milky, clear, yellow-green, or brown in color.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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Does breast hyperplasia hurt?

The main symptom of mammary gland hyperplasia is breast pain, which usually occurs in accordance with the menstrual cycle. There is significant breast pain before the period, and symptoms tend to lessen after the period. Generally, the pain is intermittent, diffuse, dull, or like needle pricks. There can also be shooting pain or hidden pain, and even some report pain as if being cut by a knife. Some of the pain is subjective, but it can also manifest as pain upon touch, or pain from friction caused by clothing during walking. There can be tenderness in the breasts, or increased pain in the upper limbs after physical exertion. The pain may occur in one breast or both.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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Breast hyperplasia is divided into several grades.

Breast hyperplasia is generally divided into six grades: Grade 1 is negative; Grade 2 is simple breast hyperplasia; Grade 3 is a benign lesion with less than 2 percent risk of malignancy; Grade 4 is subdivided into ABC, where Grade A is mild with 95% being benign, Grade B is moderately suspicious of malignancy, and Grade C has a relatively high degree of malignancy, with about 95% being malignant; Grade 5 has 98% chance of being breast cancer; Grade 6 involves pathological biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of breast cancer lesions.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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What is the difference between breast hyperplasia nodules and breast hyperplasia?

Breast hyperplasia nodules and breast hyperplasia are not much different; breast hyperplasia nodules are a more severe condition than simple breast hyperplasia. Based on the typical symptoms of cyclic breast swelling and pain, which worsen before menstruation and lessen or disappear after menstruation, and upon physical examination, nodular lumps of various sizes can be felt within the breast, which are tough but not hard, sometimes tender to the touch. Supplementary examinations like ultrasound show uneven low-echo areas in the hyperplastic breast, and if cysts are present, they form anechoic areas. Breast mammography shows ground-glass or cotton-wool shadows, which can be diagnosed as breast hyperplasia. However, it is important to be wary of the potential coexistence of breast hyperplasia and breast cancer. On one hand, patients with significant hyperplasia should be closely monitored; on the other hand, patients with obvious hyperplastic lumps or unclear boundaries of thickened breast tissue should undergo fine-needle aspiration biopsy of suspicious lesions to prevent misdiagnosis.