Breast Flashcards
The breast is a ______ gland
subcutaneous
Basic structure of the breast?
- Tubuloacinar glands make up lobules, many lobules make up lobes, lobes drain milk to the nipple
- Lobules are also known as terminal duct lobular units
- Lobules/ TDLUs are the basic functional secretory unit of the breast
- Lots of small ducts connect to bigger ducts, the ducts that lead directly to the nipple are called lactiferous ducts
- Lactiferous ducts lead to the nipple passing through an expanded duct region near the nipple termed the lactiferous sinus
What do suspensory ligaments do?
these extend from the dermis of the skin to the deep fascia overlying the muscle of the anterior chest wall and support the breast tissue
Describe the blood supply to the breast?
- The medial side of the breast is supplied by medial mammary arteries which are branches of the internal thoracic artery (a branch of the subclavian)
- The lateral side of the breast is supplied by lateral mammary arteries which are branches of the lateral thoracic artery (a branch of the axillary artery)
- Venous drainage corresponds to the arteries
Describe lymph drainage of the breast?
- Most lymph drains to axillary nodes (> 75%)
- The rest drains to parasternal and some to abdominal nodes
How does fibrocystic change usually present?
This presents as a lump or lumpiness of the breast in pre-menopausal women, can be painful
Microscopically and macroscopically fibrocystic change appears as ____
cysts with intervening fibrosis
Management of fibrocystic change
exclude malignancy
reassure
only excise if necessary and causing symptoms
What is the commonest benign tumour of the breast?
fibroadenoma
How does fibroadenoma usually present?
single lump that is small, firm and mobile and usually painless
It generally occurs in young women
Management of fibroadenoma?
Managed conservatively if asymptomatic, advice to regularly perform self exam, may excise if causing symptoms
How does fibroadenoma appear on ultrasound?
solid
Fibroadenoma vs fibrocystic change?
fibrocystic change is painful vs fibroadenoma which is painless, fibrocystic change is more of an irregular lumpiness but fibroadenoma is a single solid lump
What is a radial scar?
- Small (up to 1cm) firm lesion with dense fibrous core with radiating fingers of fibrosis entrapping and distorting glandular elements
- Benign but can be confused with carcinoma (even when examined histologically can be confusing!)
- in situ or invasive carcinoma may occur in these lesions
- generally dont get symptoms
Management of radial scar?
these are excised or vacuumed
What can cause fat necrosis?
local trauma e.g. seatbelt or surgery
or warfarin therapy
Fat necrosis can present as a mass _______
that mimics carcinoma
Management of fat necrosis?
- Management involves excluding malignancy and reassurance, lumps generally go away, if they become big or uncomfortable, surgery can be done
What is duct ectasia and what is it associated with?
- This is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with ectasia of ducts/ cystic dilation
- It’s associated with ageing (often women going through menopause) and smoking
Presentation of duct ectasia?
affects sub areolar ducts most often, pain, acute episodic inflammatory changes, bloody and/or purulent discharge, fistulation, nipple retraction and distortion
Management of duct ectasia?
treat acute infections, exclude malignancy, smoking cessation, if bad can do surgery to excise the ducts
2 aetiologies of acute mastitis and breast abscess?
- Duct ectasia > involves mixed organisms and anaerobes
- Lactation > staph A, strep pyogenes
Presentation of mastitis/ breast abscess ?
presents with signs of infection and a painful swollen breast
Management of mastitis/ breast abscess?
- Mastitis in women breastfeeding is generally caused by a build up of milk so should check breastfeeding technique and encourage them to keep feeding and express between feeds to reduce build up
- May give antibiotics
- If an abscess is present this needs drainage
Presentation of duct papilloma?
either picked up on breast screening or discharge from the nipple which may be blood stained
Management of duct papilloma?
- Papillomas should be surgically removed and histology examined as small risk of cancer developing
Breast cancers arise in the glandular epithelium so are ______
adenocarcinomas