What is fibroadenoma?
Fibroadenoma is a benign tumor,which develops in the mammary gland and is one of the varieties of nodal mastopathy. It is a dense, painless, round-shaped node that is not connected with the skin and is characterized by mobility. In diameter, it can be very different: from 0.2 mm to 7 cm. The disease affects women aged 20-30 years. As a rule, they themselves discover in the breast this formation, when they carry out self-examination of the mammary glands. If you notice any kind of tightness in your chest, or some other uncharacteristic symptoms have appeared: the chest hurts, swells, the mammary gland increases in size, there are discharge from the nipples, etc. - always consult a doctor, since all these symptoms can testify about the pathology of the mammary glands. In this case, there may be one symptom, and several. The earlier you go to the doctor and find the disease, the easier and without consequences from it you can get rid of. Fibroadenoma can be diagnosed by a gynecologist or mammologist during routine examination. Also, the doctor can refer you to ultrasound or a puncture biopsy to finally confirm the diagnosis. In addition, biopsy is necessary to determine the nature of the tumor: it is benign or malignant. Many patients who have been diagnosed with a breast tumor are wondering what could have caused the disease. The reasons for the development of fibroadenoma can be several. The most common of them are:
- hormonal disbalance;
- increased level of estrogens (under their influence, the tumor increases in size);
- nervous tension and stress;
- cysts in the ovaries.
Consequently, the treatment of fibroadenoma is carried out in parallel with the elimination of the cause, which led to the development of the tumor. There are several types of fibroadenomas:
- simple type
Such formation differs homogeneity of a structure and precise borders. It does not cause a risk of oncology of the breast. It is this species that is most common.
- complex type
These tumors are much less common and canprovoke the development of breast cancer. Like the formation of a simple type, these tumors also have a clear contour, but their structure is not uniform. Fibroadenomas of complex type contain a lot of seals and cysts, papillomas, hyperplasias of various kinds.
- foliate (phyloid) fibroadenoma. The most dangerous of all, because it is characterized by a very rapid increase in size and in 10% of cases - the transition to cancer. This formation is, as it were, between a benign and malignant tumor.
Depending on the type of education, the doctorcan prescribe different treatment mechanisms. In any case, to postpone the treatment in any way impossible - do not underestimate the seriousness of the disease. 
Treatment of breast fibroadenoma
Depending on the form of educationyou have been diagnosed, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment. Immediately I want to warn you that in no way do you need to self-medicate. Do not believe in miraculous BADs, tinctures, tablets, etc. - all these methods do not work against fibroadenoma. So, what methods of treatment can the doctor offer you? If you have found a small node (up to 1 cm), then the doctor can offer you a tumor monitoring in dynamics. Monitoring the development of the tumor includes regular examinations of the mammalogy and ultrasound of the mammary glands. This method helps to keep the growth of fibroadenoma under constant control. Although no drug is able to dissolve the tumor, there are cases when it dissolves itself. If the site continues to grow, this will not go unnoticed, and in this case the doctor will suggest the removal of the fibroadenoma of the breast by surgery. In addition, the following are also the reasons for the indication of surgery:
- suspicion of oncology;
- large tumor sizes that look like a cosmetic defect;
- rapid growth of the tumor.
Operative intervention can be carried out in several ways:
- exudation, or tumor enucleation. If the doctor has no suspicion of oncology, he will suggest this option. The operation is that the patient is given a local anesthetic. In the mammary gland a notch is made a few centimeters long and the tumor is excised. Cosmetic defect after intervention is either not observed, or it is insignificant;
- sectoral resection is prescribed to those patients,who have a suspicion of cancer. In this case, the tumor is removed along with the tissues that surround it at a distance of 1-3 cm from the formation. The cosmetic defect after the intervention usually remains noticeable.
Inoperable treatment of breast fibroadenoma
If the tumor is at an early stage, you cando without surgery. That is why it is so important to regularly conduct an independent examination of the mammary glands, so that in the event of a pathology, it is time to consult a specialist and get by with "little blood". So, there are several methods that have worked well in the fight against fibroadenoma. These include cryodestruction, high frequencies, mammotomy biopsy. Let's consider each of the methods in more detail. Laser ablation is one of the methods of non-operable removal of fibroadenoma. When using this method, the formation is removed using a laser device, the operation of which is controlled by ultrasound, which destroys the tumor. The cosmetic defect is limited only to a very thin scar: no sutures or changes in the shape of the breast occur. The advantage of this method is that it does not require anesthesia and observation of the patient in the hospital. Cryodestruction is another effective and very fast way to get rid of a tumor. At the same time, it simply freezes, and subsequently healthy tissue replaces it. The procedure is simple, it takes less than half an hour, the cosmetic defect remains in the form of a thin scar. High frequencies are used for non-surgical removal of breast fibroadenoma no less often than other methods. This method consists in the fact that an incision of 6-8 mm is made over the tumor. A surgical stick is then inserted through this incision. During this time, the tissues are heated by a stream of high frequencies, and then they are cut with a scalpel. This makes it possible to do without unnecessary blood loss. As soon as the bacillus reaches its target - the tumor - the device captures it and removes it from the breast. Mammotomy biopsy can be used as a non-invasive method for removing a mass. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and takes less than an hour. It consists in the fact that an incision of 6 mm is made over the tumor. Then, using ultrasound, a mammotomy probe is inserted into the fibroadenoma, which sucks out those areas of tissue that are affected by the tumor. The cosmetic defect is limited to a small scar, and the procedure itself guarantees a quick recovery.
The Psychological Aspect
Virtually all women are afraid of swelling in the chest. And when a woman learns a diagnosis, whether it's fibroadenoma or something more terrible, for her it sounds equally scary and hopeless. If you were diagnosed with this, do not give in to panic and despair. Trust your doctor and do everything as he tells you. If you have been diagnosed with fibroadenoma with an indication for an operation, you should remember that the mood plays a very important role in this process. Do not be afraid and do not delay with the operation, because the sooner you do it (naturally, according to the doctor's prescription), the better the result, and the sooner you forget about the illness and continue a calm, happy and healthy life. Remember: breast fibroadenoma is not a sentence and can be cured. In addition to fear and despair, many patients are worried about the very process of intervention and about what will be the appearance of the breast after it. As medical practice shows, even during surgery, surgical intervention is so minimal that the patients themselves later admit that they were afraid and worried much more than they really were. The main thing is to remove the education as soon as possible after it was discovered. Then everything will be much easier and better.
