Dangerous lumps don't cry 'pain'! There are lumps in 4 parts, and the alert may be a sign of cancer

Ms. Zhang is 41 years old. During a physical examination more than a year ago, she was found to have a nodular mass in her left breast . But because of her illness, she was afraid to go to the doctor. When she passed by a beauty salon near her home, she saw a breast massage treatment on a poster at the door that could dredge the breasts and eliminate breast lumps, so she went into the store and bought this package.

In the next year, Ms. Zhang would regularly go to this beauty salon for breast cupping and essential oil massage. However, the breast lump did not improve, but became more swollen and painful.

Unexpectedly, after that, the skin of some of Ms. Zhang's breasts even ulcerated, accompanied by bursts of stench . She was in such pain that she finally went to the hospital for treatment accompanied by her family.

After a breast lump biopsy and a series of comprehensive examinations, the examination report showed that Ms. Zhang was diagnosed with left breast cancer with axillary lymph nodes and lung metastasis . The doctor said that Ms. Zhang has missed the best time for radical surgery, and currently only comprehensive treatment can be used to control the development of the tumor.

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

1. I feel a lump in my breast, is it serious?

Breast lumps are actually a very common symptom. Some breast lumps do not require treatment, it is important to know what kind of breast lump you have.

Before menstruation, there is swelling, pain and hardness in the chest, or there are single or multiple lumps to the touch. After 3 to 5 days after the end of menstruation, the lumps will disappear on their own. This situation is likely to be breast lobular hyperplasia, which is a common benign hyperplasia.

Under normal circumstances, breast lobular hyperplasia with mild symptoms can be relieved without treatment . Paying attention to lifestyle adjustments, relieving stress, and maintaining a comfortable mood can also help improve symptoms.

In addition, breast lumps may also be associated with breast fibroadenomas, breast cysts, mastitis, and breast cancer . If it is found that the breast lump cannot subside by itself, it is necessary to go to the hospital for breast surgery in time.

Breast fibroma: a solid, painless breast mass, more common in women aged 15-35 , mainly by palpation, color Doppler ultrasound, mammography and pathological examination to diagnose. After diagnosis, if the growth of fibroids is slow and unchanged, regular follow-up observation every 6 months is enough. If the fibroids are found to grow rapidly during the follow-up, surgical resection should be performed in time.

Breast cyst: Patients usually feel a small round or oval lump in the breast, accompanied by 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 inflammation of the breast or mammary glands. It is common in lactating women, mainly due to milk stasis and bacterial infection caused by blocked mammary ducts. The common symptoms of mastitis are breast redness, pain, fever and general malaise . Once you suspect or discover mastitis, you should seek medical treatment in time.

Breast cancer: If the lump in the breast is painless, hard, irregular in shape, with unclear edges, and difficult to push, it is likely to be breast cancer. In addition, breast cancer may have lumps in the armpit, abnormal breast discharge (blood-colored, coffee-brown, or yellow-green, profuse and smelly), skin changes (inverted nipples, retracted nipples, or breasts that appear "dimples" or "orange peel" phenomenon).

2. There is a lump in the body, is it far away from cancer?

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

Among them, lymph node enlargement is mainly caused by inflammation or occupied by tumor cells . As a body alarm device, how to distinguish it?

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, the diameter is generally less than 2-3 cm , the texture is soft, the boundary is clear, the shape is regular, and the activity is high.

Enlarged lymph nodes caused by tumors are generally painless, hard in texture, irregular in shape, poor in mobility, and progressively enlarged , followed by fusion and fixation.

Overall, the safety of the tumor can be judged from four aspects .

Size: If the mass is larger than 2 cm, it may be more malignant.

Activity: If the mass is low in activity and difficult to push, it may be more malignant.

Hardness: If the texture of the mass is as hard as the forehead plate, the surface is rough and the shape is irregular, it may be more malignant.

Boundary: If the boundary between the mass and the surrounding tissue is not clear, the surface is rough or even cauliflower-like, or a purple-black protrusion is formed, the malignancy may be relatively high.

Three or four parts are "swollen", beware of cancer

If lumps appear in the following parts of the body, 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 among skin cancers as an example. In the early stage of cancer, the skin usually forms nodules or lumps, which are hard to the touch. Patients may be asymptomatic, or may be accompanied by itching. The lumps gradually increase or the disease progresses over time. Ulceration occurs.

2. Lump in upper arm

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

3. Neck lump

If a lump is found in the very 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 lump is malignant, it could be thyroid cancer. It is recommended to go to the hospital in time for B-ultrasound and blood tests to test the seven items of thyroid function or to do a biopsy to clarify benign and malignant.

If lumps are found on the sides of the neck , it may be a lump in the lymph nodes. If the cervical lymph node mass is unilateral, asymptomatic, hard, and less mobile, it is highly suspected that cancer or other cancers have metastasized to the lymph nodes. It is recommended to do B-ultrasound examination to initially judge the nature of lymph nodes, and in addition , pathological examination of lymph node biopsy or excisional lymph node biopsy can be used 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. Lumps in the legs

In general, the vast majority of lumps on 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 faster (increasing rapidly within a few months to six months) , so be on high alert for 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.

Masses appear in the body, most of which are benign lesions, and the chance of malignancy is low, but there is still a 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 you should check yourself first. If you cannot judge or have abnormalities, 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 of 4 parts may be a signal of cancer. Life Times, 2022-05-16

[3] Viewers found a lump on the TV reporter's neck, and it turned out to be cancer! Be careful with these 8 types of lumps on your body! .Health Times, 2020-07-28

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