| Conditions | Features | What Your Doctor May Recommend |
| Cysts | - Fluid-filled lumps
- Usually not cancer
- Occur most often in women ages 35-50
- Often in both breasts
- Some too small to be felt
| - Doctors often watch cysts over time or use fine-needle aspiration to remove the fluid from the cyst
- Ultrasound may be used to see whether a lump is solid or filled with fluid
|
| Fibroadenoma | - Hard, round, benign growth
- Feels like rubber; moves around easily
- Usually painless
- Often found by the woman herself
- Appears on mammogram as smooth, round lumps with clearly defined edges
- Can get bigger when a woman is pregnant or nursing
| - Sometimes diagnosed with fine-needle aspiration
- If the fibroadenoma does not appear normal, the doctor may suggest taking it out to make sure it is benign
|
| Macrocalcifications | - Appear on a mammogram as large calcium deposits
- Often caused by aging
- Usually not cancer
- If they are grouped together in a certain way, they may be a sign of cancer
| - Another mammogram to have a closer look at the area
- A biopsy may be used for diagnosis
|
| Lump (or "mass") | - May be round and smooth
- May be caused by normal hormone changes
- Irregular borders may be a sign of cancer
| - A mammogram and/or ultrasound may be used to see whether a lump is solid or filled with fluid
- A biopsy may be used for diagnosis
|
| Microcalcifications | - Appear on a mammogram as tiny specks of calcium that might be in an area of rapidly dividing cells
- If they are grouped together in a certain way, they may be a sign of cancer
| - Another mammogram to have a closer look at the area
- A biopsy may be used for diagnosis
|
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