Breast Disorders

• Breast Cancer Risk Factors
  
  Main risk factors for breast cancer.



• Breast Cancer Screening and Breast Implants
  
  If you have breast implants you will be asked to sign an additional consent form before having your breastscreen. The following information may answer some of your questions about breast implants and having a breastscreen.



• Breast Cysts
  
  A breast cyst is a fluid-filled sac that develops within breast tissue. These sacs form when normal fluid producing glands in the breast enlarge or become blocked. Breast cysts may be solitary, but are often multiple, and can be tiny or ...



• Breast Pain
  
  Some women fear that breast pain is associated with breast cancer. According to the National Breast Cancer Centre(1), breast pain (or mastalgia) is a relatively common breast change and most women at some stage in their lives will experience ...



• Breast Reduction
  
  Incisions are made beneath each breast and around the areolae of the nipples. Excess skin and fat are removed. The remaining breast tissue is remodelled and the nipples repositioned and stitched in place. Scars can take up to one year to fade, ...



• Breast abscess
  
  A breast abscess is a collection of pus in the breast. It is usually caused by bacterial infection.



• Core Biopsy Information
  
  What is a core biopsy? A core biopsy involves a doctor placing a needle into the breast to remove a small sample of tissue. Ultrasound, mammography or clinical guidance (where the doctor feels for the area to be sampled) may be used to place the ...



• Fine Needle Aspiration (Biopsy) Information
  
  What is a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy? A FNA biopsy involves a doctor placing a thin needle into the breast to remove a sample of cells. The same technique may be used to remove fluid from a cyst. Ultrasound, mammography or clinical ...



• Hormone Replacement Therapy
  
  Studies have shown that combined (progestin and oestrogen) Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) increases the risk of breast cancer.



• Lymphoedema
  
  Lymphoedema is characterised by swelling of certain parts of the body, caused by problems with the lymphatic system. Normally, fluid and proteins leak into the body tissues regularly, from the blood. This tissue fluid bathes the cells, supplies ...



• The simple facts about having a breastscreen
  
  A breastscreen, or screening mammogram, is an x-ray that can pick up small changes in the breast tissue, before they can be felt or noticed. For women over 50, a breastscreen is the most effective way to detect breast cancer in its early ...



• Why are women under 40 not included in the Program?
  
  There are a number of reasons why women under 40 are not eligible for free breast cancer screening: As yet there is no evidence that screening mammography is effective in finding early stages of breast cancer for women under 40. The tissue of ...

Last updated: 22 May, 2012
Last reviewed: 22 May, 2012