what is Bilateral Fibrocystic Disease?

Question:

Answers:
Fibrocystic masses in both breasts.

Fibrocystic breast disease is the most frequent disease of the breast. It is most common in women between the ages of 30 and 50, and uncommon in postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement.

Most people are diagnosed with fibrocystic disease when examination reveals a lump in the breast. It may be discovered by accident, or when pain or tenderness in the area calls attention to it. There can be a discharge from the nipple, and discomfort typically increases during the premenstrual part of the cycle, when the cysts tend to enlarge. Rapid appearance or disappearance of breast lumps are common in cystic disease, as are multiple or bilateral masses.

Doctors are generally aggressive in diagnosis, and the final diagnosis itself is made after excision. Mammography is helpful but not always definitive, as the breast tissue involved often is very radiodense and difficult to interpret in the study. Sonograms help to tell cystic masses from solid ones.

Certain medications may be used to help with confirmed fibrocystic disease. The medication involves suppression of gonadotropic hormones from the pituitary gland, but it has side effects that don't make it a routine drug of choice. Avoidance of caffeine is said to help, as is taking Vitamin E, but clinical studies are not definitive in either case.

Other Answers:
Fibrocystic breast disease

------------------------------...

DESCRIPTION: Fibrocystic breast disease is a generalized term for benign breast disorders such as lumps and pain. The term benign breast disease is preferred. Benign lumps are usually smooth, regular, and mobile. The following classifications are useful:
Lumps:
Physiologic nodularity - lumps vary with the phase of the menstrual cycle, common in young women
Mastoplasia - a ropy, thickening of the breast tissue, most common in the upper outer quadrant, persists throughout the menstrual cycle
Cysts - distended, fluid filled masses caused by an imbalance between secretion and absorption in the breast lobule, common in the decade preceding menopause
Fibroadenoma - benign solid tumor, smooth margins, mobile, most common tumor in teenagers and young women, may occur at any age after thelarche
Phyllodes tumors - painless, solid, smooth, lobular, bulky; stromal hyperplasia; 10% are malignant
Nipple discharge
Although considered one of the warning signs for breast cancer, 90% of patients with nipple discharge have benign disease
Bilateral duct ectasia - most common cause of nipple discharge; benign inflammatory condition; bilateral, sticky, multicolored discharge; usually has to be expressed
Bilateral galactorrhea-prolactin-secreti... pituitary tumors - usually in association with amenorrhea; drugs (isoniazid, methyldopa, thiazides, reserpine, tricyclic antidepressants, BCP's); trauma; hypothyroidism
Unilateral intraductal papilloma - spontaneous discharge from one duct. Carcinoma must be excluded.
Pain
Cyclical mastodynia - hormonal, an exaggeration of the normal premenstrual tenderness
Non-cyclical - sclerosing adenosis, cysts, chest wall muscle spasm, costochondritis, fibromyalgia, neuritis, stress, referred pain
Inflammatory conditions
Fat necrosis - a solid lump with or without pain that can mimic carcinoma
Superficial phlebitis of the thoracoepigastric vein (Mondor's disease) - local tenderness and induration
Mastitis/abscess - exquisite pain and tenderness, erythema (common), not always a definite mass, common with lactation and squamous metaplasia of lactiferous ducts (Zuska's disease), usually caused by staphylococcal organisms
Growth disorders
Accessory nipples (polythelia)
Absence of the breast (amastia)
Absence of the nipple (athelia)
Hypoplasia (often associated with hypoplasia of the thorax and pectoral muscles, and abnormalities of the hand, i.e., Poland's syndrome)
Gigantomastia: occurs during puberty and pregnancy
Gynecomastia: occurs in men in association with puberty, senescence, liver disease, and testicular tumors, and medications such as digoxin and cimetidine

System(s) affected: Skin/Exocrine

Genetics: Family history of cysts common

Incidence/Prevalence in USA: Unknown. It is estimated that at least 50% of women have benign breast symptoms during their lifetime.

Predominant age:
Symptoms tend to occur in menstruating women
Mastoplasia - most common in women from mid 20's to 55 years of age
Cysts - usually seen in women in their 40's
Cyclical mastodynia - common in menstruating women
Non-cyclical pain - can occur at any age after breast development

Predominant sex: Female > Male (almost exclusively)

CAUSES:

The etiology of benign breast disease is unknown

Possible causes:

Luteal phase defect in progesterone

Increased estrogen (17 beta estradiol)

Hyperprolactinemia

End organ hypersensitivity to estrogen

Sensitivity to methylxanthines

Dietary fat intake

Synonyms:

Chronic cystic mastitis

Adenosis

Benign breast disease

Mammary dysplasia

Fibrocystic disease

ICD-9-CM: 610.1 diffuse cystic mastopathy

REFERENCES:

Rohan TE, Miller AB: A cohort study of oral contraceptive use and risk of benign breast disease. Int J Cancer 1999;82(2):191-6
Rosenfeld JA: Women's Health in Primary Care. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1997

Author(s):
Cathryn Heath, MD
John C. Smulian, MD, MPH

More Questions and Answers

The consumer health information on youqa.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.

what is Bilateral Fibrocystic Disease?

Health Resources