Highlights & Basics
- Fibrocystic breasts are characterized by "lumpy" breasts associated with pain and tenderness that fluctuate with the menstrual cycle.
- Diagnosis often involves exclusion of other significant breast diseases.
- Assessment of risk for the development of breast cancer is important and is useful in patient reassurance or to design risk reduction strategies.
- Cyclic mastalgia is treated symptomatically with lifestyle modification, analgesics, and hormonal therapy.
- Mastalgia and breast cysts run a chronic relapsing course throughout life with improvement at menopause.
Quick Reference
History & Exam
Key Factors
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Diagnostics Tests
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Definition
Epidemiology
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Citations
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Dupont WD, Page DL. Risk factors for breast cancer in women with proliferative breast disease. N Engl J Med. 1985 Jan 17;312(3):146-51.[Abstract]
Fisher B, Constantino JP, Wickerham DL, et al. Tamoxifen for prevention of breast cancer: report of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project P-1 Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998 Sep 16;90(18):1371-88.[Abstract][Full Text]
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