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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffTests to evaluate your condition may include:
- Clinical breast exam and physical exam. During this exam, your doctor checks for changes in your breasts, visually and manually examining your breasts and the lymph nodes located in your lower neck and underarm area. Your doctor will probably listen to your heart and lungs and check your chest wall and abdomen to be certain the pain originates from your breast and isn't related to some other condition. If your medical history and the breast and physical exam reveal nothing unusual, you may not need additional tests.
- Mammography. If your doctor detects a breast lump, unusual thickening in your breast tissue, or focused area of pain, you need to undergo mammography — an X-ray exam of your breast tissue. Even if your breast exam is normal, your doctor may recommend diagnostic mammography if you're age 30 or older and you're experiencing a new onset of breast pain. Diagnostic mammography focuses in on suspicious areas in your breast to double-check for lesions that may be too small to feel.
- Ultrasound. An ultrasound exam uses sound waves to produce images of your breasts and is often performed in conjunction with mammography. You might undergo ultrasound to evaluate a focused area of pain even if the mammogram appears normal.
- Breast biopsy. Suspicious breast lumps, areas of thickening or unusual areas seen during imaging exams may require a biopsy before your doctor can make a diagnosis. During a biopsy, your doctor (radiologist) obtains a small sample of breast tissue from the suspicious area and sends it for microscopic analysis.
References
- Smith RL, et al. Evaluation and management of breast pain. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2004;79:353.
- Miltenburg DM, et al. Benign breast disease. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2008;35:285.
- Richardson J. Breast signs and symptoms: Breast pain. In: Adams Hillard PJ. The 5-Minute Obstetrics and Gynecology Consult. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008:22.
- Golshan M, et al. Breast pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 1, 2010.
- Millet AV, et al. Clinical management of breast pain: A review. Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey. 2002;57:451.
- Pruthi S, et al. Vitamin E and evening primrose oil for management of cyclical mastalgia: A randomized pilot study. Alternative Medicine Review. 2010;15:59.
- Rodden AM. Common breast concerns. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2009;36:103.
- Parsay S, et al. Therapeutic effects of vitamin E on cyclic mastalgia. The Breast Journal. 2009;15:510.
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