Common Misunderstandings in Diagnosis of Hyperprolactinemia

Hyperprolactinemia is the most common pituitary disease, with galactorrhea and hypogonadism as prominent manifestations. Female patients may experience decreased libido and loss of sexual desire, which will be relieved after treatment as PRL levels decrease. Male patients mainly experience decreased libido and impotence, and in severe cases, body hair loss, testicular atrophy, reduced sperm count, and even azoospermia may occur.

1. Breast pain = breast cancer?

Breast pain is a common clinical symptom in women of childbearing age. It is more common a few days before the start of menstruation and gradually alleviates after the start of menstruation. For some patients, it is not related to the menstrual cycle. Breast pain can be related to factors such as breast hyperplasia, irregular work and rest, spicy and irritating diet, mood swings, tobacco and alcohol. It can be alleviated through regular work and rest, healthy diet, relieving emotions, quitting smoking and drinking, etc. Some more serious patients require drug treatment. Breast cancer is usually a painless tumor. Of course, not all painless lumps are breast cancer. You should go to the hospital for regular diagnosis and treatment and carefully exclude it.

2. Breast nodules = breast cancer?

It is quite common to find lumps or nodules in the breast through self-examination or imaging examination. Most breast nodules are benign lesions and do not require any treatment, but they should be checked regularly. As long as they remain the same, they do not need to be treated. Some nodules show typical signs of malignancy and a puncture biopsy should be performed as soon as possible to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment as soon as possible to avoid delays. Some nodules do not behave like typical benign lesions, nor do they look like typical malignant lesions. In this case, the doctor will also recommend a puncture biopsy for identification.

Breast cancer can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Most breast cancers manifest as lumps. Some breast cancers cannot be felt, but abnormalities can be seen on breast ultrasound, mammography, or MRI. Some breast cancers manifest as eczema or erosion of the nipple, or inflammation of most or all of the breast skin. In rare cases, no lesions may be found in the breast, but the axillary lymph nodes have already metastasized. This disease is called occult breast cancer.

3. Does only women get breast cancer?

Both men and women have breast organs and are at risk of developing breast cancer. However, due to differences in breast volume, sex hormone levels, etc., breast cancer patients are mainly women. Male breast cancer patients account for about 1% of all breast cancer patients.

4. Is breast cancer the only malignant tumor of the breast?

Breast cancer is the most common type of breast malignancy. Malignant tumors in the breast may also be malignant melanoma, lymphoma, malignant phyllodes tumor, sarcoma, etc. They can only be differentiated through pathological examination. The treatment methods for each tumor are different and cannot be confused.