Both women and men can develop benign (noncancerous) breast lumps. This condition is known as benign breast disease. While these breast changes aren’t cancerous or life-threatening, they may increase your risk of developing breast cancer later on.
What is benign breast cancer?
Benign (non-cancerous) breast conditions are unusual growths or other changes in the breast tissue that are not cancer. Having a benign breast condition can be scary at first because the symptoms often mimic those caused by breast cancer.
Does benign breast disease increase risk of breast cancer?
Retrospective and prospective studies have shown a relative risk of breast cancer of 1.5 to 1.6 for women with benign breast disease as compared with women in the general population.
What is the most common benign tumor of the breast?
What is a fibroadenoma? Fibroadenomas are solid, smooth, firm, noncancerous (benign) lumps that are most commonly found in women in their 20s and 30s. They are the most common benign lumps in women and can occur at any age.
Do benign breast lumps hurt?
Symptoms of benign breast conditions. Some benign breast conditions will cause pain. Some will be undetectable unless you feel a lump or your doctor sees it in a routine mammogram (a test designed to X-ray breasts).
Do benign breast tumors need to be removed?
Your doctor might recommend surgery to remove the fibroadenoma if one of your tests — the clinical breast exam, an imaging test or a biopsy — is abnormal or if the fibroadenoma is extremely large, gets bigger or causes symptoms. Procedures to remove a fibroadenoma include: Lumpectomy or excisional biopsy.
Are benign breast lumps painful?
Do benign breast cysts go away?
Many cysts will disappear with no treatment. If a cyst persists, feels firmer or you notice skin changes on the skin over the cyst, follow up with your doctor.
Can a suspicious breast lump be benign?
If you find a breast lump or other change in your breast, you might worry about breast cancer. That’s understandable. But breast lumps are common, and most often they’re noncancerous (benign), particularly in younger women.
What are the symptoms of a benign breast tumor?
Having a benign phyllodes tumor does not affect your breast cancer risk, but you may be watched more closely and get regular imaging tests, because these tumors can come back after surgery. Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy or partial mastectomy), in which part of the breast is removed, is typically the main treatment.
What is the treatment for benign breast disease?
Breast ducts become blocked with engorged milk, and bacteria enter from cracks in the nipple. There may be engorgement of the breast and axillary lymphadenopathy. Warm compresses and analgesia such as ibuprofen or paracetamol may give some relief. Encourage the woman to continue breast-feeding.
What are the symptoms of benign breast disease?
Benign breast disease may present with other symptoms, however, such as pain, nipple discharge, nodularity and swelling. It may fall to the GP to differentiate which of these represent benign disease and which may suggest malignancy, and thence which need further investigation and with what degree of urgency.
