Breast lumps and conditions that do not increase breast cancer risk
Many common benign breast conditions (and their symptoms) don't increase your risk of breast cancer. These include:
- Adenosis: A breast condition in which breast lobules are enlarged, causing small round lumps or lumpiness. Or you may not feel any lumps at all.
- Breast cysts: Closed, saclike pockets of tissue that can form in the breast. Most breast cysts are filled with fluid and called simple cysts. They may be painful just before your menstrual period begins. You may be able to feel a cyst, although some are too small to be felt. Cysts are most common in premenopausal women and in women taking menopausal hormone therapy.
- Breast duct ectasia (also called mammary duct ectasia): A breast condition in which one or more breast ducts widen and thicken. This can cause the duct to become blocked with fluid. This condition may sometimes cause whitish, greenish, or blackish nipple discharge, tender or darker nipples, or inverted nipples. If the blocked duct becomes infected, you may feel a lump under the nipple. Breast duct ectasia is most common in women who are approaching or have gone through menopause.
- Breast hematoma: A pool of clotted or partially clotted blood under the skin of the breast that may cause a lump, fever, and breast inflammation. Hematomas are usually caused by a broken blood vessel after an injury or surgery to the breast. They can also occur without injury in people taking aspirin or blood thinners.
- Fat necrosis of the breast: A condition that causes round, firm, usually painless lumps. Fat necrosis may appear after an injury to the breast, surgery, or radiation therapy. Skin around the lump may look red, bruised, or dimpled.
- Fibroadenoma: Benign breast tumors that often feel like hard, round lumps in the breast and move easily. Fibroadenomas don't usually hurt and may sometimes be too small to be felt. Fibroadenomas are the most common benign breast tumors in women under age 30 and are more frequently found in younger than older woman, although they can be found at any age. These tumors may get larger when estrogen levels increase (during pregnancy or with hormone replacement therapy) and smaller during menopause.
- Fibrocystic breast disease (also called fibrocystic breasts and fibrocystic breast changes): A common breast condition in which you may have breast swelling or discomfort, sensitive nipples, nipple discharge, and itching. You may also have a mass (also called a lump) or cysts. Symptoms often start before or during your menstrual period. As many as half of all women notice fibrocystic breast changes. Fibrocystic breasts are most common among women under age 45 and among women taking hormone replacement therapy.
- Intraductal breast papilloma (also called intraductal papilloma): A breast condition that causes wartlike growths in the breast duct. Single intraductal papillomas are usually close to the nipple and may cause a lump, pain, and clear or bloody discharge.
- Lipoma of the breast: A benign tumor made of fat cells. It's usually a painless, single, soft lump.
- Mastitis: A painful breast condition that is most common in women who are breastfeeding. It's caused when a breast duct (also called a milk duct) becomes blocked or infected. Your breast may look red or darker and feel lumpy, warm, and tender. You may also have nipple discharge and a fever or flu-like symptoms.
Breast conditions that may increase breast cancer risk
These benign breast conditions are not breast cancer, but if you have one of these conditions, your risk of breast cancer is slightly increased. However, you can have one of these conditions without ever developing cancer in the future.
- Complex fibroadenomas: A type of benign tumor that usually forms in the breast and is made up of fibrous and glandular tissue. Other abnormal tissue changes such as cysts, calcifications, scar-like tissue, and hyperplasia are also present. Complex fibroadenomas are more common in older women.
- Multiple intraductal breast papillomas (also called intraductal papillomas): A breast condition that causes wartlike growths in the breast duct. They may not be felt or cause nipple discharge. They are smaller and often found farther away from the nipple than a single intraductal breast papilloma.
- Radial scars (also called complex sclerosing lesions): A type of benign tissue that looks like a scar when viewed under a microscope. Often, multiple lesions are seen in both breasts. Radial scars cannot usually be felt and rarely cause symptoms.
- Sclerosing adenosis: A condition in which scar-like fibrous tissue is found in the breast lobules. Sclerosing adenosis doesn't usually cause symptoms, although you may notice a small lump or breast pain.
Breast lump that is usually benign but may be cancer
Phyllodes tumor (also called cystosarcoma phyllodes of the breast or CSP): A rare type of breast tumor that is usually painless. It starts in the connective tissue of the breast and may grow quickly. Although most phyllodes tumors are benign, they may sometimes be cancer, or they may have characteristics of both benign and cancerous tumors. Your risk of developing a phyllodes tumor is higher if you have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare, inherited disorder.
Phyllodes tumors are sometimes confused with fibroadenomas. However, phyllodes tumors are most common in women in their 40s, and fibroadenomas are most common in women between ages 15 and 35.
Precancerous breast conditions
A precancerous condition is one that is not cancer but may become cancer. If you are diagnosed with one of these conditions, you have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Because of this, your doctor may recommend more frequent physical examinations or imaging tests.
Your doctor may also recommend hormone therapy (a form of chemoprevention) to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Learn about chemoprevention at Breast Cancer Prevention and talk with your doctor about how to manage your risk of developing breast cancer.
- Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH): A breast condition in which there are more cells than usual in the breast ducts and the cells look abnormal under a microscope. ADH may increase your risk of breast cancer.
- Atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH): A breast condition in which there are more cells than usual in the breast lobules and these cells look abnormal under a microscope. ALH may increase your risk of breast cancer.
- Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS): A breast condition in which abnormal cells are found in the breast lobules. There are more abnormal cells in the breast lobule with LCIS than with ALH. LCIS increases your risk of developing cancer in either breast.
- Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma in situ (PLCIS): A breast condition in which abnormal cells are found in the breast lobules. These cells are often larger and more abnormal than in LCIS. PLCIS is more likely to become invasive breast cancer than LCIS. PLCIS occurs most often in postmenopausal women.