Breast Disease Clinical

Diagnosis of a breast cyst usually includes a breast exam; imaging tests, such as a breast ultrasound or mammogram; and possibly fine-needle aspiration or a breast biopsy.

After discussing your symptoms and health history, your doctor will physically examine the breast lump and check for any other breast abnormalities. Because your doctor can't tell from a clinical breast exam alone whether a breast lump is a cyst, you'll need another test. This is usually either an imaging test or fine-needle aspiration.

Needed tests may include:

Mammography. Large cysts and clusters of small cysts can usually be seen with mammography. But microcysts can be difficult or impossible to see on a mammogram.

Breast ultrasound. This test can help your doctor determine whether a breast lump is fluid filled or solid. A fluid-filled area usually indicates a breast cyst. A solid-appearing mass most likely is a noncancerous lump, such as a fibroadenoma, but solid lumps also could be breast cancer.

Your doctor may recommend a biopsy to further evaluate a mass that appears solid. If your doctor can easily feel a breast lump, he or she may skip imaging tests and perform fine-needle aspiration to drain the fluid and collapse the cyst.