Cystic ductal dilatation

There are many causes of mammary duct cystic dilatation. It may be caused by obstruction of the duct excretion function or abnormal hormone secretion, so everyone should pay attention to the examination of mammary ducts. The symptoms of mammary duct cystic dilatation are often mistaken for breast cancer. Everyone should check carefully and treat the symptoms of mammary duct cystic dilatation in time.

Mammary duct ectasia is a not uncommon benign disease that occurs frequently in middle-aged and elderly women, with the peak age of onset being 50-60 years old. Due to its complex and changeable clinical manifestations, it is easily misdiagnosed as breast cancer.

Causes

1. Ductal drainage disorder

For example, congenital nipple deformity, depression, uncleanness or foreign hair and fibers may cause blockage of the nipple pores, abnormal duct development, poor breast structure, leading to epithelial hyperplasia, inflammation and damage, etc., which may cause duct stenosis, interruption or occlusion. Secretions accumulate in the ducts, causing them to dilate. In some middle-aged and elderly women, due to ovarian dysfunction, the breast ducts undergo degeneration, the duct walls relax, and the contractility of the myoepithelial cells decreases, leading to accumulation of secretions in the ducts and expansion of the ductal lumen, causing this disease.

2. Abnormal hormone stimulation

Some scholars have found that the levels of sex hormones in patients' blood are abnormal. The levels of estradiol (E2) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in the blood before ovulation are lower than normal, while the level of prolactin (PRL) is higher than normal. Abnormal sex hormone stimulation can induce abnormal secretion of the duct epithelium, causing the duct to dilate significantly. Generally speaking, the presence of obstruction alone without abnormal hormonal stimulation to promote epithelial secretion will not cause duct dilatation. Poor duct drainage is often the main reason for the progression of the galactorrhea stage to the lump stage.

3. Infection

Some scholars believe that the disease is accompanied by anaerobic infection or areola infection, which invades the subcutaneous tissue, affects the milk ducts, and forms fistulas after penetrating the milk ducts. Or on the basis of duct obstruction, a large amount of shed epithelial cells and lipid secretions accumulate in the duct, escape from the duct wall and decompose to produce chemical substances, causing chemical stimulation and antigenic reaction of the surrounding tissues, leading to an inflammatory process dominated by plasma cells.