Body Part - Breast
GALACTOCELE
A cyst containing milk. It can be caused by dried out milk blocking a milk duct. It is usually seen in young women who are breast feeding.
GROUPED MICROCALCIFICATIONS
These look like tiny white dots in groups or clusters (on a mammogram). If the individual dots are round and similar in size, there is a good chance that these are not cancerous. If the individual dots are jagged and/or different sizes, there is a good chance that these are cancerous. The radiologist is likely to recommend biopsy.
GYNECOMASTIA
Development or enlargement of glandular tissue in a man’s breast. This is not cancerous.
HAMARTOMA
Non-cancerous tumor that contains normal breast tissue. Sometimes it is described as “breast within a breast”.
HEMATOMA (breast)
A pocket of blood. This can be caused by any trauma or biopsy or surgical procedure to the breast.
HER2 (HUMAN EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR 2)
This is a protein receptor that may be associated with breast cancer. If a breast cancer is HER2 positive, anti-HER2 treatments can be used to stop the growth of the cancer cells.
HETEROGENEOUSLY DENSE
This phrase is used in the standard sentence, “The breasts are heterogeneously dense, which may obscure small masses.” It means that the breast is composed of 51%-75% glandular tissue. Cancer looks like a white spot on a mammogram. Normal glandular tissue is also white on a mammogram. When there is more glandular tissue in the breast, cancer is harder to see/detect.
As an analogy, imagine trying to spot a white bear when it is snowing outside (in the North Pole). If it is snowing lightly, the white bear should be easy to detect. If there is a raging snow storm (blizzard), the white bear will be difficult to detect.
Back to the mammogram…Since there 51%-75% glandular tissue, breast cancer may be more difficult to see in a breast that is “heterogeneously dense”.
ILL-DEFINED (breast)
Adjective. This is used to describe the margins of a breast mass. It means that the margins are irregular or fuzzy. This is a descriptor used for a suspicious mass.
INTRACAPSULAR RUPTURE
This is a type of breast implant rupture where the silicone leaks out of the implant bag BUT is contained within the implant capsule. This type of rupture can be very difficult to detect on a mammogram but can be diagnosed with MRI. Please see “capsule” and “extracapsular rupture” for more information.
INTRADUCTAL PAPILLOMA
Non-cancerous tumor contained within a milk duct. Although it is considered non-cancerous, it is usually taken out with surgery.
Search By Alphabet
