Dangerous lumps don't cry 'pain'! Lumps appear in 4 places, be alert for possible signs of cancer

Ms. Zhang is 41 years old this year. During a physical examination more than a year ago, she was found to have a nodular mass on the left breast . However, she was afraid of going to the doctor because of Wei's disease. When she passed by a beauty salon near her home, she saw that there was a breast massage course on the poster at the door, which could unclog breasts and eliminate breast lumps, so she went into the store and bought this package.

In the following year, Ms. Zhang will regularly go to this beauty salon for breast cupping and essential oil massage. But the lump in the breast did not improve, instead it became more swollen and painful.

Unexpectedly, after that, part of Ms. Zhang's breast skin even festered, accompanied by bursts of foul odor , and she finally went to the hospital accompanied by her family members in pain.

After a breast lump biopsy and a series of comprehensive examinations, the examination report revealed that Ms. Zhang was diagnosed with left-sided breast cancer with metastases to the axillary lymph nodes and lungs . The doctor said that Ms. Zhang had missed the best time for radical surgery, and the development of the tumor can only be controlled through comprehensive treatment.

After hearing the diagnosis, Ms. Zhang's whole family nearly collapsed. Ms. Zhang shed tears of remorse when she thought that she had delayed her treatment because she blindly believed in breast health care.

1. If you feel a lump in your breast, is it serious?

Breast lumps are actually a very common symptom. Some breast lumps don't require treatment, and it 's important to know what your breast lumps are.

Before menstruation, chest pain, stiffness, or single or multiple lumps to the touch, the lumps will disappear on their own 3 to 5 days after menstruation ends, this is likely to be breast lobular hyperplasia, which is a common benign condition hyperplasia.

Under normal circumstances, breast lobular hyperplasia with mild symptoms can be relieved on its own without treatment . Usually, adjusting your lifestyle, relieving stress, and maintaining a good mood can also help improve symptoms.

In addition, breast lumps can also be associated with breast fibroadenomas, breast cysts, mastitis and breast cancer . If you find that the breast lump does not go away on its own, it is necessary to go to the hospital for breast surgery in time.

Fibromatosis of the breast: A solid, painless breast mass, more common in women aged 15-35 , diagnosed by palpation, color Doppler ultrasound, mammography, and pathology. After diagnosis, if the growth of fibroids is slow and unchanged, then regular follow-up observation every 6 months is sufficient. If the fibroid grows rapidly during follow-up, prompt surgical resection is recommended.

Breast cysts: Patients usually feel small round or oval lumps in the breast , along with symptoms such as breast pain and nipple discharge . Simple cysts generally do not increase the risk of breast cancer, while complex cysts represent solid tissue within the mass and require a doctor's judgment.

Mastitis: Mastitis refers to the inflammation of the breast or mammary gland, which is common in breastfeeding women, mainly due to the obstruction of the mammary duct, which leads to the accumulation of milk and bacterial infection. The common symptoms of mastitis are red, swollen, painful breasts, along with fever and general malaise . Once mastitis is suspected or found, seek medical attention promptly.

Breast cancer: If a breast lump isn't painful to the touch, is firm, has an irregular shape, has unclear edges, and is difficult to push, it's likely to be breast cancer. In addition to breast cancer, there may be a lump in the armpit, abnormal breast discharge (blood-colored, brown or greenish-yellow, heavy and foul-smelling), skin changes (inverted, retracted nipple, or the appearance of breasts) "Dimples" or "orange peel" phenomenon) and other symptoms.

2. If there is a lump in the body, is it far from cancer?

Inexplicable lumps in the body may be benign lesions such as hyperplasia or lipoma, or may be due to swollen lymph nodes caused by inflammation in the body, and a small number may be malignant tumors.

Among them, swollen lymph nodes are mainly caused by inflammation or occupation by tumor cells . As the body's alarm device, how to distinguish?

Inflammatory lymphadenopathy is usually caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as pharyngitis, suppurative tonsillitis, upper respiratory tract infection, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Inflammatory lymphadenopathy is often accompanied by pain and tenderness, generally less than 2-3 cm in diameter , soft in texture, well-defined, regular in shape, and high in activity.

Tumor-induced lymphadenopathy is generally painless, firm in texture, irregular in shape, poor mobility, and progressively enlarged , followed by fusion and fixation.

In general, the safety of mass can be judged from 4 aspects .

Size: If the mass is larger than 2 cm, the malignancy may be larger.

Mobility: If the tumor has low mobility, it is difficult to push, and the malignancy may be larger.

Hardness: If the mass is firm like a forehead, with a rough surface and an irregular shape, the malignancy may be greater.

Boundary: If the boundary between the mass and the surrounding tissue is unclear, the surface is rough or even cauliflower-like, or a purple-black bump is formed, the malignancy may be larger.

3. 4 parts are "swollen", beware of cancer

If lumps appear in the following body parts, be alert to whether cancer has occurred, and seek medical examination and treatment in time.

1. Skin lumps

Malignant tumors that grow on the skin include skin cancer and metastatic cancer. Take basal cell carcinoma in skin cancer as an example. In the early stage of cancer, the skin usually forms nodules or lumps that are hard to the touch. The patient may be asymptomatic, or it may be accompanied by itching, the lumps gradually increase or the disease progresses with age. Ulceration occurs when ulceration occurs.

2. Upper arm lump

Swollen lymph nodes in the upper arm, especially in the armpit , need to be alert to malignant lymphoma or breast cancer metastasis. Among them, lymphoma is usually painless. It is recommended to go to the hospital for puncture or resection as soon as possible for pathological examination to clarify the cause, and then receive targeted treatment.

3. Neck lump

If a lump is found in the center of the neck , it may be a thyroid lump. Thyroid masses are mostly benign lesions, including nodular goiter, endemic goiter, thyroid flow restriction and subacute thyroiditis. If a thyroid mass is malignant, it may be thyroid cancer. It is recommended to go to the hospital in time to do B-ultrasound and blood test for seven items of thyroid function or do a needle biopsy to identify benign and malignant.

If lumps are found on both sides of the neck , it may be a lymph node mass. If the lymph node mass in the neck is unilateral, asymptomatic, firm in texture, and poorly mobile, there is a high suspicion of cancer or other cancers metastasizing to the lymph nodes. It is recommended to do B-ultrasound to preliminarily determine the nature of the lymph nodes, and pathological examination through lymph node biopsy or excisional lymph node biopsy to clarify its benign and malignant.

Benign lymphoma only needs to treat the primary disease, while malignant lymphoma needs to formulate a targeted treatment plan according to the diagnosis.

4. Leg lumps

Under normal circumstances, most of the masses in the legs are benign multiple lipomas. If there is a painless mass in the leg , the mass will adhere to the surrounding tissue and grow rapidly (rapidly increasing within a few months to half a year) , and be highly alert to malignant tumors such as lung cancer and prostate cancer.

Once you find a lump in your leg, you should go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time.

Lumps appear in the body, most of them are benign lesions, the probability of malignancy is low, but there is still the possibility of malignancy. Therefore, it is recommended that if you find a lump in your body, you don't have to be overly nervous and check yourself first. If you can't judge or if there is any abnormality, please go to the hospital.

References:

[1] Don't panic if there is a lump in the breast, it may be because of it. Tencent Medical Code, 2022-04-10

[2] Dangerous lumps don't cry "pain"! Swelling in 4 parts may be a signal of cancer. Life Times, 2022-05-16

[3] The audience found that the TV reporter had a lump in the neck, and it turned out to be cancer! These 8 types of lumps on the body must be careful! .Health Times, 2020-07-28

Reproduction is prohibited without the author's permission