FREE MASTER’S CASTLE
Chest cyst, a very annoying but harmless lump. It is a collection of fluid that occurs at any age of a woman. Cysts are particularly prominent when a woman approaches menopause.
In the sense that a cyst is merely a sac of fluid, it is not a true breast lump. It is not composed of tissue and is not even a benign tumour. The fluid contained in the cysts is yellow, green or brown in colour. Under normal circumstances a cyst should not contain blood.
How do I find out that there is a cyst in my breast?
A cyst is usually an incidental finding on a chest x-ray. The test by which cysts can be found accurately is breast ultrasound. The ultrasound image of a cyst looks like a round black hole in the breast gland. In contrast, only very large cysts are visible on mammography because they displace the dense breast gland.
Sometimes, a cyst can grow large enough to become symptomatic. This means that it causes breast pain. The pain is most intense during ovulation and before menstruation. At a very large size a simple breast cyst can be palpable by the woman. This is a particularly stressful experience. The woman is referred to her mammologist for further investigation. On taking a history and clinical examination, a suspected breast cyst is usually suspected. The mammologist requests basic breast radiology, mammography and breast ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.
How is breast cyst treated
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Small asymptomatic breast cysts do not require any treatment. When they do cause symptoms, they may require puncture and drainage using a simple needle. Very superficial cysts can be punctured by palpation alone. Smaller symptomatic cysts that are deeper in the breast can only be punctured under guidance with interventional ultrasound. This is a painless, bloodless and inexpensive procedure that at Breast Care Clinic is performed at the time of the examination by Breast Surgeon Breast Surgeon Dr Ioannis Haveles.
There are only rare cases where surgery for a breast cyst can be discussed:
- When the cyst persists to reappear despite repeated punctures
- When the fluid content of the cyst is examined and has alarming findings
- When the cyst shows marked atypia on breast ultrasound
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These are special cases, in which decisions about an appropriate treatment approach will be made after discussion with the specialist mammologist.
Should we always test the bladder fluid?
When a breast cyst is properly punctured with invasive ultrasound, two parameters are checked:
- The texture and colour of the cyst fluid.
If there is blood in the fluid, then we have to send the cyst fluid for cytological examination. - The complete disappearance of the cyst
A simple cyst will completely disappear clinically and ultrasonographically after proper puncture. If a lump remains, then the fluid is sent for cytological examination. The lump is biopsied with a cut needle biopsy under invasive ultrasound and a full histological examination is performed
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Are all breast cysts simple and harmless?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. There are partially cystic lumps in the breast that are much more worrying and should be identified and investigated appropriately. It depends on the knowledge and expertise of your specialist mammologist and radiologist to identify and perform the investigation.
