🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Acute mastitis is more common in lactating women, while plasma cell mastitis occurs predominantly in non-lactating women. Acute mastitis has a short course and favorable prognosis; plasma cell mastitis has a prolonged, stubborn course. Local symptoms of acute mastitis typically affect the lower quadrant or deep areas of the breast, presenting with redness, swelling, heat, pain, or suppuration. Plasma cell mastitis commonly occurs around the nipple area, often with a history of congenital nipple inversion. Pus contains cheesy, foul-smelling secretions; some cases form fistulas with recurrent episodes. Systemic symptoms include chills, high fever, fatigue, and constipation. During acute phase, fever may occur but is usually less severe than in acute mastitis; chronic phase typically lacks systemic symptoms. Laboratory findings show significantly elevated peripheral white blood cell count, especially neutrophils. Cytological examination of discharge or fine-needle aspiration of the mass reveals abundant plasma cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages. Inflammatory breast cancer, also known as diffuse breast cancer, is a relatively rare type of breast cancer. Its main clinical features include marked redness, swelling, and pain in the breast, but no palpable lump is typically found. The tumor progresses rapidly, often involving the entire breast. Due to its high malignancy, histopathology shows diffuse infiltration of cancer cells throughout the breast and lymphatic vessels. Inflammatory breast cancer also commonly affects pregnant or lactating women. With aggressive onset and early, widespread metastasis, patients often die within 1–3 years. Key distinguishing points include:
① Both conditions present with redness, swelling, heat, and pain in the breast. In acute mastitis, skin redness may be localized or extensive, appearing bright red; in inflammatory breast cancer, skin changes are widespread, affecting the entire breast, with a dark red or purplish hue. Acute mastitis causes general pitting edema; inflammatory breast cancer presents with “peau d’orange” (orange peel-like) skin edema.
② Both may involve axillary lymph node enlargement. In acute mastitis, axillary lymph nodes are relatively soft, not adherent to surrounding tissues, and mobile upon palpation; in inflammatory breast cancer, lymph nodes are hard, adherent to skin and surrounding tissues, and immobile.
③ From systemic symptoms: acute mastitis often presents with chills, high fever, and obvious systemic inflammatory response; inflammatory breast cancer typically lacks significant systemic inflammation—fever, if present, is low-grade or moderate.
④ From disease course: acute mastitis has a short duration, may progress to suppuration quickly, responds well to antibiotics, and has a good prognosis; inflammatory breast cancer is severe, rarely forms abscesses, does not cause skin breakdown, but may spread to the neck and arm on the same side, even invading the contralateral breast. Antibiotic treatment is ineffective, and prognosis is poor. Initially, inflammatory breast cancer and acute mastitis are difficult to distinguish. As the disease progresses, differences become increasingly apparent. Therefore, patients presenting with breast redness, swelling, heat, and pain should seek prompt medical care to avoid delayed diagnosis.
<Breast>