When a breast surgeon finds their own breast mass – eeek! Turns out I can now join the club of all of the women I see in my clinic with simple breast cysts.
What is a breast cyst? A cyst is a fluid-filled structure. We worry about solid masses in the breast and often recommend biopsy, but a cyst is filled with fluid and they are benign. Breast cysts do not turn into cancer and they don’t increase your risk of cancer. Sometimes, when they get very big or painful, we can aspirate them (place a needle to drain the fluid) but this is not necessary, and they often recur. Cysts look black like this on ultrasound. They have round borders and the breast tissue looks more bright posterior to the cyst. They usually resolve on their own, and no intervention is needed as long as the radiologist does not believe there are any concerning features like a solid component.
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