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The Treatment Of The Breast Mound

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Introduction
The breast mound is located between the 2nd and 6th ribs on top of the pectoralis major muscle and begins at the lateral edge of the sternum. Exteriorly, the breast is covered by a layer of skin that has a protruding structure in the center called a nipple. The nipple has several sebaceous glands and is bordered by a darkened circle called the areola. Interiorly, the breast is made up of mammary glands which are present in both males and female breasts, but women have the ability to produce milk while men do not. The mammary glands are made up of lobes ranging in number from 15-25. These lobes are made up of lobules that contain glandular alveoli which produces milk in females. Within the lobes is a duct called the lactiferous duct that collects the milk produced by the lobules and carries it to an opening in the nipple. All of these structures that make up the mammary glands are surrounded completely by a layer of superficial fascia. Finally, the breast is supplied with blood by the superior thoracic, acromiothoracic, and subscapular arteries and contain about 20-30 lymph nodes. (textbook)
Pathophysiology
The most common types of cancer are ductal carcinoma in situ, invasive ductal carcinoma, and invasive lobar carcinoma. Ductal carcinoma in situ occurs when the cancer cells are only seen in the epithelial cells that surround the lactiferous ducts. Invasive ductal carcinoma occurs when the cancerous cells enter the breast ducts and the fatty tissue that
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