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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffComplications of mammary duct ectasia are usually minor and often more bothersome than serious. These may include:
- Nipple discharge. Nipple discharge caused by mammary duct ectasia can be frustrating. Fluid leaking from your nipples can cause embarrassing wetness and staining on your clothes.
- Breast discomfort. Mammary duct ectasia can cause redness, swelling and tenderness around your nipples.
- Infection. A bacterial infection such as mastitis may develop in the affected milk duct, sometimes causing you to have pain in or around your nipple or to feel ill and have a fever.
- Concern about breast cancer. When you notice a change in your breast, you may immediately start to worry that it's a sign of breast cancer. That fear can be particularly hard to shake if you develop a hard lump around a milk duct affected by mammary duct ectasia. It's important to remember that mammary duct ectasia is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
