What are breast lumps?
What causes breast lumps?
Cancer isn't the most common cause of breast lumps.
The most common causes of breast lumps are:
-
Fibroadenomas, which are small, smooth, movable, painless round lumps that usually happen in women who are at an age to have children
-
Fibrocystic changes, which are general lumpiness and pain in your breasts caused by monthly changes in female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone
Less common causes of breast lumps are:
When should I go to the doctor for a breast lump?
What will happen at my doctor visit?
Doctors will ask you questions about your symptoms and health. They’ll do an exam, including a breast exam to feel the lump.
To tell if your breast lump is cancer, doctors often do more tests, such as:
-
Ultrasound (a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the inside of your breast)
-
Mammogram (x-ray of your breast)
Depending on your symptoms and the results of these tests, your doctor may:
How do doctors treat breast lumps?
If your breast lumps are fibrocystic changes, doctors may:
If your breast lumps are fibroadenomas, doctors may:
If your breast lumps are breast cancer, doctors may do surgery to remove your tumor and give other types of cancer treatment, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and medicine.
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
| Generic Name | Select Brand Names |
|---|---|
acetaminophen |
TYLENOL |
progesterone |
CRINONE |
ibuprofen |
ADVIL, MOTRIN IB |
