Fibrocystic breasts - Symptoms, Causes, Images, and Treatment Options

Diseases

Highlights & Basics

Key Highlights

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
- Other Factors
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Diagnostics Tests
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Treatment Options
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Definition

Epidemiology

Etiology

Pathophysiology

Images

Ultrasound image of a breast cyst (note the characteristic smooth and sharp margins of the anechoic lesion with posterior acoustic enhancement)
Ultrasound image of a fibroadenoma; in contrast to the breast cyst, some internal echoes are seen

Citations

Key Articles

Marchant DJ. Benign breast disease. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2002 Mar;29(1):1-20.[Abstract]
Santen RJ, Mansel R. Benign breast disorders. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jul 21;353(3):275-85.[Abstract]
Love SM, Gelman RS, Silen W. Sounding board. Fibrocystic "disease" of the breast--a nondisease? N Eng J Med.1982 Oct 14;307(16):1010-4.[Abstract]
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]

Referenced Articles

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2. Santen RJ, Mansel R. Benign breast disorders. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jul 21;353(3):275-85.[Abstract]
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28. Pruthi S, Wahner-Roedler DL, Torkelson CJ, et al. Vitamin E and evening primrose oil for management of cyclical mastalgia: a randomized pilot study. Altern Med Rev. 2010 Apr;15(1):59-67.[Abstract]
29. Fentiman IS, Caleffi M, Hamed H, et al. Dosage and duration of tamoxifen treatment for mastalgia: a controlled trial. Br J Surg. 1988 Sep;75(9):845-6.[Abstract]
30. Parlati E, Polinari U, Salvi G, et al. Bromocriptine for treatment of benign breast disease. A double-blind clinical trial versus placebo. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1987;66(6):483-8.[Abstract]
31. Mansel RE, Wisbey JR, Hughes LE. Controlled trial of the antigonadotropin danazol in painful nodular benign breast disease. Lancet. 1982 Apr 24;1(8278):928-30.[Abstract]
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38. Hartmann LC, Sellers TA, Frost MH, et al. Benign breast disease and the risk of breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jul 21;353(3):229-37.[Abstract][Full Text]
39. 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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41. Srivastava A, Mansel RE, Arvind N, et al. Evidence-based management of Mastalgia: a meta-analysis of randomised trials. Breast. 2007 Oct;16(5):503-12.[Abstract]
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43. Kessler JH. The effect of supraphysiologic levels of iodine on patients with cyclic mastalgia. Breast J. 2004 Jul-Aug;10(4):328-36.[Abstract]
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