Intramammary lymph node of the breast: what is it, the description, the causes and characteristics of the treatment

Quite often during a routine examination or mammography in a medical record, a record is made that an intramammary lymph node of the mammary gland is found. What it is? Is it dangerous to increase it? These questions are asked by every woman who has had to face such a diagnosis.

Is the intramammary lymph node of the breast cancer? What examinations do you need to go through the patient? What treatment may be needed? These answers will be useful and interesting to each of the fair sex.

What is an intramammary lymph node?

Many women find themselves in a situation where during the examination the doctor discovers that the patient has an enlarged intramammary lymph node of the breast. What it is, you can understand by studying the anatomical structure of the female breast. This formation is part of the axillary lymph nodes, which normally do not appear. It is through them that the outflow of the main mass of lymph from the chest occurs. Therefore, in the case of a pathological process, the surrounding lymph nodes are also affected in the mammary glands .

Indeed, this phenomenon indicates the presence of a disease. On the other hand, in most cases, the disease is treatable, so do not panic.

How is the intramammary lymph node visualized?

You should know when talking about the intramammary lymph node of the breast that it is a seal that is located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast. Sometimes it can be groped and palpated, but most often it is found during radiography or mammography.

Quite often a bilateral increase is observed (when both mammary glands are involved in the inflammatory process). As already mentioned, this process indicates the presence of an inflammatory process.

Intramammary lymph node of the breast: causes of pathology

Immediately it is worth mentioning that the appearance of the intramammary node in the pictures is not a pathology in itself. Its increase is a consequence of an already existing disease. And in most cases, a similar change in the lymphatic system indicates mastitis (inflammation in the tissues of the breast).

To the reasons it is possible to carry and мастопатию. In addition, an increase in the lymph node is observed in cancer, and therefore ignore such a problem is impossible - you need to urgently undergo a complete diagnosis.

Causes of inflammation of the lymph nodes in the chest

Inflammation of the mammary glands is a very common problem. There are many factors that contribute to the development of such a disease as mastitis. As is known, the inflammatory process develops against the background of the activity of bacteria, viruses or fungal microorganisms. They can enter the tissues both from the external environment and from other inflammatory foci in the body.

According to statistics, mastitis in most cases affects women during lactation. If the milk stagnates in the mammary glands, this creates ideal conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. The state of the immune system, the hormonal background and many other factors are important.

What are the symptoms of inflammation and other pathologies?

Mastitis is the most common cause, because of which the intramammary lymph node of the breast increases in women. What it is? In fact, it is an inflammatory disease, which in most cases is diagnosed during or after lactation.

This pathology develops when pathogens penetrate the tissues - most often they are bacteria, but fungi and even viruses can act as causative agents. Such diseases are accompanied not only by an increase in lymph nodes, but also swelling of the breast, severe soreness, an increase in body temperature, and the appearance of discharge from the nipples. If you have such symptoms, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible, since the absence of therapy can be extremely dangerous.

Diagnostic measures

It's no secret that doctors recommend that women perform self-examination of the breast every month. Correctly performed procedure often contributes to early diagnosis of various diseases. On the other hand, this is the least accurate method of diagnosis.

In most cases, the intramammary node is diagnosed with mammography or chest X-ray. In the picture, the doctor can see a shadow with light impregnations (these are fatty tissues). In the future, of course, additional procedures are carried out.

Diagnosis includes standard blood tests that help determine the presence of an inflammatory process. Informative will be an ultrasound examination of the breast. The most accurate method to determine whether the lymph node is affected by cancer cells is biopsy.

With the help of a special needle, the doctor punctures the pathological structure and collects samples, which are then sent to the laboratory. Unfortunately, sometimes damage to the lymph node, on the contrary, can provoke the process of malignant degeneration of tissues. That is why it is important to find a really good specialist who will be able to make the most secure scheme of diagnosis and treatment.

How dangerous is the enlargement of the lymph nodes

What should I do if I have an intramammary lymph node? Is it dangerous? Is it worth worrying? There is an opinion that the appearance of this node in the picture can be considered a sign of an oncological disease.

This statement is not true. The increase in lymph nodes, as is known, only indicates that the immune system of a woman has to deal with the negative impact of the external or internal environment. And in most cases, such a violation is a sign of the inflammatory process. On the other hand, with cancer, lymph nodes also vary in size. Moreover, they often become a place of education and development of metastases.

As can be seen, it is impossible to answer unambiguously to the question whether the enlarged intramammary lymph node of the breast is dangerous. This requires careful research and, in particular, a biopsy.

What does the therapy scheme look like?

What therapy requires an enlarged (or altered) intramammary lymph node in the breast? Treatment in this case depends on many factors, including the cause of its appearance on radiographic photographs.

For example, if there is mastitis or inflammation of the lymph node itself, then it is necessary to use anti-inflammatory drugs. Depending on the cause of the inflammatory process, you may need antiviral, antifungal or antibacterial therapy.

In the event that malignant cells were found during the diagnostic process, the therapy scheme is selected by the oncologist. Naturally, the affected tissue, including the lymph node, must be removed. After this, radiation or chemotherapy is performed to help destroy the remaining cancer cells, followed by a recovery and follow-up period.