Breast x-rays that indicate breast cancer is present when the disease is truly absent. A frozen section provides a quick preliminary diagnosis but is not 100 percent reliable. An alteration in a segment of DNA, which can disturb a gene's behavior and sometimes leads to disease. Chemicals produced by various glands in the body, which produce specific effects on specific target organs and tissues. Several types of benign breast conditions involve hyperplasia.
Inflammation is marked by heat, redness, swelling, pain, and loss of function.
A small wartlike growth that projects into a breast duct. Each of the breast's 15 to 20 lobes branches into smaller lobules, and each lobule ends in scores of tiny bulbs. Milk originates in the bulbs and is carried by ducts to the nipple. The tissues and organs that produce, store, and transport cells that fight infection and disease. They are most likely due to aging, old injuries, or inflammations and usually are associated with benign conditions.