Mammary lipoma

Lipoma of the mammary gland is a benign neoplasm. However, any woman is confused and afraid of an incomprehensible mobile "lump" in the breast that is accidentally discovered. And in any case, it is necessary to seek specialized medical help - a mammologist, because without an examination it is impossible to correctly determine the nature of the tumor and get rid of it. After all, to this day there is no consensus regarding the ability of lipoma of the mammary gland to malignant transformation.

Moreover, there are also many discrepancies regarding the etiology of this disease.

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Causes mammary lipomas

Some domestic doctors still believe that the causes of breast lipoma are identical to the etiology of any fibrocystic mastopathy, i.e. they are directly related to monthly hormonal cycles in women of childbearing age. Others claim that today the data on the causes of lipoma formation require clarification.

But lipomas of the mammary gland most often appear in women after menopause (that is, when all hormonal cycles have passed). According to research in recent years, this is due to the so-called menopausal metabolic syndrome - a change in metabolism during the natural age-related functional decline of the ovaries. As a result, the structure of the tissues of the mammary glands changes: the volume of glandular tissue decreases, and its place is taken by fatty and connective (fibrous) tissues.

However, it should be borne in mind that lipomas are found in younger women, men and even children. And here we need to remember about adipose tissue, because mammary gland lipomas are mesenchymal tumors consisting of mature adipose tissue (in Greek, Lipos means fat). In fact, this is a fat accumulation encapsulated by fibrous tissue. And these "fat capsules" can appear not only in the mammary glands, but also in visceral organs, under the skin, in the muscle tissues of the trunk and limbs.

Lipoma of the mammary gland, like any lipoma, is formed in the process of abnormal growth and division of its own fat cells, around the conglomerate of which a fibrous capsule is formed. Therefore, this pathology should not be considered as a purely female disease, but as a local manifestation or a special case of lipomatosis - pathological deposition of fat in cells and tissues and the formation of compact neoplasms from them.

The list of causes of lipomatosis includes a disorder of fat metabolism (obesity), heredity (a defect of the HMG IC gene), a disorder of the pituitary gland, pancreas or thyroid gland. And that's not all.

The fatty tissue itself, consisting of adipocytes and fibroblasts, does not simply accumulate in the body: it participates in many metabolic and neurohormonal processes. Fat cells adipocytes produce hormones - adiponectin, resistin, and also the satiety hormone leptin (which regulates appetite by affecting the hypothalamus). With a deficiency of this hormone, the activity of the thyroid and sex glands decreases and the activity of the adrenal cortex increases. With an increased level of leptin, the opposite processes occur, but in both cases, the endocrine system malfunctions. So, the more fatty tissue in the body, the higher the likelihood of developing a lipoma of the mammary gland.

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Symptoms mammary lipomas

Symptoms of a lipoma of the mammary gland do not manifest themselves for a long time, since this formation grows very slowly and for a long time. And if the tumor formed deep in the mammary gland, then there are no signs of its existence at all. Its presence is discovered by chance: by the woman herself or during an X-ray examination or ultrasound.

Lipoma of the mammary gland is usually solitary, its typical location is the subcutaneous tissue of the upper outer quarter of one or both mammary glands.

The tumors are round, soft and elastic to the touch, isolated and mobile in relation to the surrounding tissues. And in most clinical cases, they are completely painless. Many breast lipomas are small in size - about 1 cm in diameter, but it is possible for tumors to form up to 5 cm or more. There are even giant tumors - more than 12 cm in diameter weighing 0.5 kg.

If such a tumor contains a lot of fibrous tissue, then the lipoma will be denser, and in the diagnosis this formation will be defined as a fibrolipoma.

Diagnostics mammary lipomas

The diagnosis of lipoma of the mammary gland is established on the basis of: examination and palpation of the mammary glands by a mammologist; mammography; ultrasound, as well as puncture of the tumor by puncture or aspiration biopsy with subsequent histological examination of the obtained biological material.

The latter diagnostic procedure is mandatory because, according to doctors, both mammography and ultrasound cannot always distinguish a lipoma from liposarcoma and cancer (in particular, the rare Peyer's form of breast cancer).

Histopathological examination of a breast tumor usually shows the presence of mature fat cells (adipocytes) inside the tumor, separated by a fibrovascular septum. If there are no atypical nuclei or other transformations in the adipocyte cells, one can be sure of the benign nature of the tumor.

Lipomas of the mammary gland appear on a mammogram (x-ray of the breast) as radiolucent gray areas surrounded by a clearly defined radiopaque capsule.

Lipoma of the mammary gland on ultrasound reveals a formation with clear even contours. Typical echographic indicators of the tumor can be completely isoechoic compared to the surrounding tissues (i.e. they return waves of normal amplitude), but most often they are hyperechoic. The latter indicates that the ultrasound waves have encountered tissues of increased density, which happens when they affect calcified areas of organs, bone and fat formations.

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Treatment mammary lipomas

There is no drug therapy for this pathology of the mammary glands yet. The method here is radical – removal… but this is an extreme measure, and it is rarely resorted to.

So, when a breast lipoma is small, does not produce abnormal cells, does not worsen well-being, does not cause discomfort, then, as they say, it is not touched, but observed (with periodic examinations by a doctor and ultrasound).

It is another matter when the tumor becomes large and leads to significant asymmetry of the mammary glands, turning into a defect of appearance. Or if the tumor limits movement or begins to cause pain, squeezing healthy breast tissue. Or suddenly accelerates growth, which immediately raises doubts about its benignity.

Removal of a breast lipoma can be performed by sectoral resection of the breast, enucleation (enucleation) of the tumor, excisional biopsy (puncture or aspiration). In the latter case, everything inside the tumor is removed through a thin needle inserted into it. A trace remains, like from an injection, without a single scar. However, it is impossible to remove an empty "capsule" from the breast in this way, and over time it can fill up again.

Therefore, more modern and effective methods of removing breast lipoma are used - radio wave and laser. As a result of a painless and bloodless procedure, which lasts no more than half an hour, the tumor disappears.

Prevention

The main and, unfortunately, the only point of measures for the prevention of lipoma of the mammary gland is proper nutrition, in which its quality and quantity will not negatively affect the synthesis of hormones in the body and disrupt their natural balance.

It should be remembered that fats and animal proteins increase the level of estrogens in the blood plasma. And your own "fat depots" do not bring any benefit.

So, the less fatty tissue in the body, the lower the likelihood of tumor development.

But the prognosis for breast lipoma is very optimistic: this “fatty tumor” in the breast rarely undergoes malignant transformation and is not associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

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Forecast

The prognosis for breast lipoma is very optimistic: this “fatty tumor” in the breast rarely undergoes malignant transformation and is not associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

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