RESULTS Reassurance plus bra-fitting advice provides relief for most women .
There is some benefit in reducing dietary coffee and fat intake .
Dopamine agonists are useful , but less effective than endocrine treatments such as Danazol or Tamoxifen .
Of the Selective Oestrogen Receptor Modulator drugs , Ormeloxifene appears most effective , but is not licenced in the United Kingdom .
Relaxation therapy , acupuncture and kinesiology may be useful but currently lack good evidence of effectiveness .
Subsequent drug therapy should be balanced against its side-effects ; topical NSAIDs and Ormeloxifene show greatest benefit with least side-effects .
INTRODUCTION Idiopathic mastalgia ( benign breast pain of unknown origin ) is often poorly managed because of its subjective nature and unclear aetiology .
Mastalgia is a reason for up to 50 % of breast outpatient referrals .
Existing systematic review s discuss date d treatment options that provide limited symptomatic relief .
What Effect, if any, does Soy Protein have on Breast Tissue?
Differences in breast tissue can be determined using breast-enhanced scintigraphy test ( BEST ) imaging . Minimal work in vivo has been done previously to determine the effects of soy protein on breast tissue . The authors ' earlier work demonstrated reduction in inflammatory changes in breast tissue . This work was conducted to examine the effect of daily soy protein consumption on a larger group of women over the course of 1 year . Sixty-four premenopausal women were studied after initial BEST imaging evaluation revealed fibrocystic changes of the breast . Women were asked to consume a medical- grade soy protein on a daily basis , making no other dietary or lifestyle changes during that time . Each woman underwent BEST imaging 1 year later with the results compared to the initial findings . Women and their physicians reported a subjective reduction in both breast tenderness and fibrocystic disease ( FCD ) . There was a nonstatistical reduction in both the average and maximal count breast activity following 1 year of daily soy consumption . There was a statistically significant reduction ( P < .01 ) in variability of tissue activity following 1 year of soy protein treatment . This is the first in vivo study looking at the effect of soy protein on breast tissue health . The findings are promising and showed both objective and subjective findings consistent with a reduction in fibrocystic disease of the breast . Further research is needed to confirm these findings in a greater number of women and to determine if soy protein has the same beneficial effect in atypia and breast cancer
RESULTS Reassurance plus bra-fitting advice provides relief for most women .
There is some benefit in reducing dietary coffee and fat intake .
Dopamine agonists are useful , but less effective than endocrine treatments such as Danazol or Tamoxifen .
Of the Selective Oestrogen Receptor Modulator drugs , Ormeloxifene appears most effective , but is not licenced in the United Kingdom .
Relaxation therapy , acupuncture and kinesiology may be useful but currently lack good evidence of effectiveness .
Subsequent drug therapy should be balanced against its side-effects ; topical NSAIDs and Ormeloxifene show greatest benefit with least side-effects .
INTRODUCTION Idiopathic mastalgia ( benign breast pain of unknown origin ) is often poorly managed because of its subjective nature and unclear aetiology .
Mastalgia is a reason for up to 50 % of breast outpatient referrals .
Existing systematic review s discuss date d treatment options that provide limited symptomatic relief .