Breast surgery: benign breast disease, breast cancer
General Surgery · MBBS
Study notes
A painless hard breast lump with nipple retraction — cancer until triple assessment proves otherwise. Breast cancer (painless hard lump, nipple retraction/discharge, skin dimpling — peau d'orange, axillary nodes): triple assessment — clinical exam + imaging (mammography/USG) + biopsy (core needle): staging — TNM; receptors — ER/PR/HER2: treat — surgery (breast-conserving/lumpectomy + radiation or mastectomy) + systemic (chemo — neoadjuvant/adjuvant; hormonal — tamoxifen/aromatase if ER+; HER2 — trastuzumab). Benign — fibroadenoma (young, mobile, rubbery — excise), fibrocystic (cyclical pain — reassure), abscess (lactating — drain + antibiotics). The painless hard lump is cancer until triple assessment clears it.
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