Does indistinct margins mean cancer?
Indistinct margins (Figure 36f-7) are generally suspicious for malignancy, and spiculated margins (Figure 36f-8) are highly suggestive of malignancy. Nonetheless, a small number of cancers may exhibit a round shape and relatively circumscribed margins.
What is a mass with obscured margins?
An obscured mass is a mass with greater than 25% of its margin hidden by surrounding fibroglandular tissue on mammography; hence, it cannot be fully assessed. This term is commonly used when the portion of the margin that is visualized is circumscribed and it usually implies a lower likelihood of malignancy.
Can a benign breast tumor have irregular borders?
Irregular hypoechoic masses in the breast do not always indicate malignancies. Many benign breast diseases present with irregular hypoechoic masses that can mimic carcinoma on ultrasonography.
Can fibroadenoma have irregular margins?
There is some overlap in the sonographic criteria for fibroadenomas and for breast cancer,31 and approximately 25% of fibroadenomas appear with irregular margins, which may imply that the lesions are malignant.
What is an indistinct mass?
Masses described as having indistinct margins lack a clear demarcation of a portion or the entire margin from the surrounding tissues. The indistinctness of the margin raises the possibility of infiltration; therefore, this descriptor implies suspicion for malignancy.
What is irregular mass in breast?
A collection of infected fluid (abscess) in breast tissue also can cause a breast lump, one that’s often associated with localized breast pain and inflammation of the skin. Breast cancer. A breast lump that’s painless, hard, irregularly shaped and different from surrounding breast tissue might be breast cancer.
What is Fibroglandular dense breast tissue?
Breasts that are described as dense have more fibrous and glandular (fibroglandular) tissue than fatty tissue. When you have scattered fibroglandular breast tissue, it means that your breasts still contain mostly fatty tissue, but a few areas of fibroglandular tissue are visible on your mammogram.
What is indistinct margin?
Can breast cysts be irregular in shape?
Simple cysts are always benign. Complex cysts have irregular or scalloped borders, thick walls, and some evidence of solid areas and/or debris in the fluid.
Can an indistinct mass be benign?
Benign masses are often round or oval with circumscribed margins. Malignant lesions tend to have irregular, indistinct, or spiculated margins. Malignancies tend to have density greater than that of the normal breast tissue.
What does indistinct margins mean on breast ultrasound?
Can an irregular breast mass be benign?
You or your doctor might be able to feel a lump or see nipple discharge, or your mammogram might pick up something that requires further testing. Any abnormal change in the breast can be a sign of cancer and needs to be checked out. However, many changes turn out to be benign.
What does a benign breast lump feel like?
In contrast to breast cancer tumors, benign lumps are often squishy or feel like a soft rubber ball with well-defined margins. They’re often easy to move around (mobile) and may be tender.
What is a positive margin in breast cancer?
Positive margins, on the other hand, may indicate the presence of invasive breast cancer, and you may need to have a mastectomy in order to be sure that all cancer has been removed and to prevent a recurrence.
Can breast cancer cause a lump on the breast?
One type of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer, does not usually cause a lump. Instead, you may see redness, swelling, and sometimes a rash on the skin of the breast. 3
Can breast cancer be found in the margins after a mastectomy?
For women who’ve had a mastectomy, cancer cells in the margins within the breast usually have no effect on treatment decisions, since the whole breast is removed. In rare cases, however, cancer cells may be found close to the chest wall, possibly requiring more surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy,…