Breast Surgery

Question 1

When should women start doing Self Breast Exams?

Answer 1

20s

Question 2

When should women start having clinical breast exams?

Answer 2

In their 20s and 30s: every 3 years

In their 40s and older: every year

Question 3

When should women have mammorgrams?

Answer 3

After 40, every year.

Question 4

When is the best time to do a Self Breast Exam?

Answer 4

A few days to a week after menstruation has ended.

or the same time every month in post-menopausal women

Question 5

Which breast mass has a “breast mouse” type of mobility?

Answer 5

Fibroadenomas

-benign non-cancerous masses

Question 6

Test of choice to confirm fibroadenoma.

Answer 6

Ultrasound (hypoechoic resonance with acoustic shadowing)

Question 7

Which breast mass is very solid (like a marble) and is very painful?

Answer 7

Fibrocystic Breast tissue

Question 8

What is the treatment for fibrocystic breast tissue?

Answer 8

Needle aspiration and monitoring

Question 9

How are simple cysts differentiated form complex cysts?

Answer 9

Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration.

• simple cysts may disappear completely after aspiration
• complex cysts will still have tissue and need to be surgically removed and a biopsy performed.

Question 10

What are BI-RADS and how are they interpreted?

Answer 10

Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System
-the higher the number (1-6) the worse the prognosis.

1 and 2 are definitive benign
3 probably benign
4 suspicious, do a biopsy
5 and 6 are high risk and definite malignancy

0 is an exception. This means inconclusive and does not rule out malignancy.

Question 11

How are suspicious calcifications found on mammography?

Answer 11

The ends of the calcifications are “pointy” or sharp, benign are more rounded

Question 12

Difference between sterotactic core needle biopsy and regular core needle biopsy.

Answer 12

Regular: obtains one cylindrical sample
Stereotactic: larger needle and obtains multiple samples of tissue

Question 13

What are the 4 general steps in breast cancer treatment?

Answer 13

1. Remove all the cancerous tissue locally
2. Determine whether the cancer has spread to the local lymph nodes, and if so remove them
3. Radiation of the local tissue to prevent recurrence
4. maybe hormonal treatment

Question 14

What is a Sentinel Node Biopsy?

Answer 14

Method of localizing lymph node drainage of a breast cancer tumor using dye and radio isotope tracers.