Nipple Benign Disease

What is Benign Disease?

Benign disease is changes to the breast or nipple that are non-cancerous. One of the most common benign diseases is called ffibrocystic breasts disease.   Other benign breast diseases include several types of solitary lumps, cysts, nipple discharge, and infection and/or inflammation.

Signs & Symptoms of Benign Disease

Although not life-threatening, benign disease can cause pain and discomfort for some people.

Symptoms of fibrocystic breast changes include cysts, fibrosis, thicker areas of breast tissue or lumpiness, tenderness or pain.

An area of swelling or bumpiness, or a protuberance in the breast is a common symptom of benign breast lumps.

Signs of breast cysts include a smooth, easily moved breast lump and breast pain or tenderness in the area of the cyst.  Nipple discharge from a non-lactating woman may look milky, green, yellow, brown or bloody.

The symptoms of breast infection and inflammationinclude swelling, pain and tenderness in the breast.  You will feel unwell, with flu-like symptoms and a headache.

Treatment for Benign Disease

The treatment for benign disease depends on the type of disease.

There is nospecific treatment for benign fibrocystic disease, other than to minimise the discomfort by wearing a good support bra, avoiding caffeine, reducing fat and salt intake, and taking vitamin E and pain relief.

Benign breast lumps are most commonly treated surgically, and cysts are normally managed through fine needle aspiration to remove the fluid from inside the cyst.

Nipple discharge can be treated by removing some of the breast ducts, and infection and inflammation is normally treated with antibiotics.