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A breast cyst is a fluid-filled sac inside the breast tissue. Cysts are very common between the ages of 35 and 50, often multiple, and tend to disappear after the menopause unless you take hormone replacement. They can appear quickly and feel smooth, round and mobile, like a grape under the skin.

Simple cysts are benign and do not turn into cancer. The reason to have any new lump examined is that you cannot tell a cyst from a solid lump by feel. Once ultrasound confirms a simple cyst, no treatment is needed unless it is uncomfortable.

Symptoms

• A smooth, movable round or oval lump
• Tenderness or a feeling of fullness, often worse before a period
• A lump that changes size through the menstrual cycle
• Several lumps in one or both breasts
• No symptoms, with the cyst seen on a screening mammogram

Causes and risk factors

Cysts form when the small glands of the breast, the lobules, fill with fluid as their outlet ducts narrow. This is part of the normal ageing change of breast tissue under the influence of oestrogen and progesterone, which is why cysts peak in the years before the menopause and may be more obvious in women using hormone replacement therapy. Caffeine, diet and bras have not been shown to cause them. Having cysts does not meaningfully raise your breast cancer risk.

How it is diagnosed

• Clinical examination: A breast specialist examines both breasts and the armpits.
• Breast ultrasound: The key test. It shows whether a lump is a simple cyst with thin walls and clear fluid, a complicated cyst with debris, or a complex cyst with a solid part.
• Mammogram: Usually added for women over 40 or when ultrasound findings need clarification.
• Fine needle aspiration: A thin needle drains the fluid. If the lump disappears and the fluid is not bloodstained, that confirms the diagnosis.
• Core biopsy: Needed for complex cysts with a solid component or thick walls, which carry a small risk of containing abnormal cells.

Treatment options

• Reassurance only: A simple cyst without symptoms needs no treatment and no special follow-up beyond normal screening.
• Aspiration: Draining a large or tender cyst with a fine needle takes a few minutes and gives immediate relief. About one in three refill, and can be drained again.
• Comfort measures: A well-fitting supportive bra and simple pain relief around your period.
• Surgical removal: Rarely required. It is considered for a cyst that keeps refilling quickly, gives bloodstained fluid, or shows worrying features on biopsy.

When it is urgent

Breast cysts are not emergencies. See a doctor locally within a couple of weeks for any new lump. Seek prompt care for a hot, red, painful breast with fever, which suggests infection or an abscess and may need antibiotics or drainage.

Travelling to Türkiye for treatment

A cyst on its own is not a reason to go abroad. Assessment is quick and available almost everywhere. Where it fits is within a women's health check-up during a visit, or when you are already having breast imaging before planned cosmetic breast surgery, since unexplained lumps should be clarified first. Examination, ultrasound and aspiration can be done in a single appointment, with fluid or biopsy results in a few days.

Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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