title: Benign breast disease: when to treat, when to reassure, when to refer.
abstract: Many women have breast symptoms-swelling and tenderness, nodularity, pain, palpable lumps, nipple discharge, or breast infections and inflammation. Fortunately, relatively few have breast cancer. Physicians must distinguish benign breast conditions from malignant ones, and know when to refer the patient to a specialist. We have included some of the newer diagnostic techniques and the approach to patients with nonpalpable lesions detected on a screening mammogram.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shadyside, PA 15232, USA.
authors.forename: Lakshmi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vaidyanathan
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.forename: D Michael
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Elnicki
mesh_terms: D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005687:Galactorrhea / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D012017:Referral and Consultation