If you notice any breast changes, you should call your doctor right away to get checked, but don’t panic. Most breast lumps are benign, which means they’re not cancerous. Benign breast lumps usually have smooth edges and can be moved slightly when you push against them. They are often found in both breasts.

There are several common causes, including normal changes in breast tissue, breast infection or injury, and medicines that may cause lumps or breast pain.

Breast tissue changes during a woman’s entire life, from puberty, pregnancy, lactational period and menopause. It is sensitive to changing hormone levels during the menstrual cycle.

What Can Cause Benign Breast Lumps?

Fibrocystic changes. For some women, changes in hormones during normal monthly menstrual cycles can create breast changes. These are known as fibrocystic breast changes. Women with fibrocystic breasts usually get lumps or lumpy feel in both breasts that increase in size and tenderness just before they get their period. They sometimes have nipple discharge as well.These changes are often most noticeable during your 40s. They are the most common cause of benign breast lumps in women ages 35 to 50. Postmenopausal women are less likely to have these types of breast changes. That’s because they don’t have monthly changes in hormones.

Simple cysts. Simple cysts are fluid-filled sacs that usually happen in both breasts. There can be one or many. They can vary in size. Tenderness and size often change with your menstrual cycle.

Fibroadenomas. These are the most common benign tumors. If you push on them they are solid, round, rubbery lumps that move freely. They’re usually painless. Women between 20 and 30 get them most often. They’re also more common in African-American women. You may feel like a pebele moving in the breast.

Traumatic fat necrosis. This happens when there is an injury to the breast, though you may not remember an injury happening. It causes fat to form in lumps that are generally round, firm, hard, and painless. You usually get one at a time. It may be painful or painless.

How Are Benign Breast Conditions Treated?

• Fibrocystic breast changes do not require treatment, but your doctor may recommend medications to help relieve monthly tenderness.
• Simple cysts can be treated through fine needle aspiration. You don’t need surgery to do this. A small needle is used to suck out some cells from the breast lump. If the lump is a cyst, they can suck out the fluid and the cyst will collapse. It is usually done under US guidance. Cysts can also go away on their own, so your doctor may choose to wait before trying to get rid of it.
• Fibroadenomas and intraductal papillomas can be removed surgically. The surgery is a minimal scar day care procedure which is done under short anesthesia.
• It can be hard to tell if a lump from traumatic fat necrosis is that or something else until your doctor does a biopsy. These usually don’t need to be treated. But if the lump bothers you, it can be removed

Can Men Get Breast Lumps?

Yes. Men can have tender breast enlargement, often with a lump under the nipple. Sometimes this is in one breast, but it often happens in both. This condition is called gynecomastia.

Does a Breast Lump Mean Infection?

Possibly. Sometimes a painful lump, with or without redness, is the first sign of an infection. Mastitis is an infection most common in breastfeeding moms. It’s caused by bacteria that get into the mammary ducts through the nipple. Infection happens in small pockets. You’ll feel tender, warm lumps in the breast. The breast abscess is a very painful condition. Depending on the size of the abscess and the severity, the treatment varies. The Surgeon may do ultrasound guided aspiration of abscess or he may do open drainage. Antibiotics are often prescribed.

What Should I Do If I Find a Breast Lump?

See your Surgeon if you discover any new breast changes. A doctor should examine you if you find:

• An area that is clearly different from any other area on either breast
• A lump or thickening in or near the breast or underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle
• A change in the size, shape, or contour of the breast
• A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea
• A marble-like area under the skin
• A change in the feel of the skin on the breast or nipple or how it looks. It could be dimpled, puckered, scaly, or inflamed.
• Clear or bloody fluid coming out of the nipple
• Red skin on the breast or nipple

What Will Happen at My Appointment?

Your Surgeon will ask you some questions about your health history. He will perform a breast exam to feel for lumps or other changes in the breast tissue and under the arms.

If there is fluid coming out of your nipple, your doctor will collect a sample and check for cancer cells.

He may also do a mammogram or ultrasound to see if the lump is solid or filled with fluid.Your doctor may order a biopsy.

How Do I Keep My Breasts Healthy?

• Once you turn 20, your doctor may give you a breast exam in which he feels your breast tissue for changes. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a clinical breast exam every 1-3 years starting at 20 years.
• Get a mammogram as you get older. It’s best to talk with your Surgeon to decide the right time and how often. The American Cancer Society recommends getting one every year once you turn 45.

When you feel a lump in your breast, it’s understandable to be concerned. But don’t jump to conclusions.

Instead, take action. Go to a hospital to find out what it is.

Here are 8 common myths about breast cancer.

Myth 1: A Breast Lump Is Probably Cancer
Most breast lumps women feel — 8 out of 10 – aren’t cancer. It’s more common for them to be a cyst or a fibroadenoma.You can’t tell what it is by how it feels. Go and get it checked.

Myth 2: If You Have a Lump but Your Mammogram Is Normal, You’re Done
You may need more tests, such as an MRI, ultrasound, or follow-up mammogram or even a biopsy depending on the risk factors.

Myth 3: Cancerous Breast Lumps Are Always Painless
Not necessarily. Although breast cancers aren’t always painful, having breast pain doesn’t rule out cancer. For eg: Inflammatory breast cancer – which has early symptoms such as redness, swelling, tenderness, and warmth in the breast

Myth 4: If You Find a Lump While Breastfeeding, It Can’t Be Cancer
Though breastfeeding does make you less likely to get breast cancer, it can still happen. If you notice a lump while you’re breastfeeding, don’t ignore it.You may get an ultrasound to check it out.

Myth 5: If You’re Young, a Breast Lump Can’t Be Cancer
Not so. At any age, you should get breast lumps checked out by a doctor.Even though most women who get breast cancer are past menopause or older than 50, a lump can be cancer, even in a younger woman. The youngest female with diagnosed breast cancer is only 8 years old.

Myth 6: A Small Lump Is Less Likely to Be Cancer Than a Large Lump
Breast lumps come in all sizes, and size doesn’t affect the odds that it’s cancer. Whenever you feel a lump that’s new or unusual, even if it’s tiny, see your surgeon. Even small lumps can be aggressive cancers.

Myth 7: If You Feel a Lump Soon After a Mammogram, It’s OK to Wait Another Year
No, Call your doctor if you notice a lump soon after your latest mammogram, even if the results were normal. Mammograms can miss some cancers, especially if you have dense breast tissue or if the lump is near the armpit.

Myth 8: A Lump Is Probably Harmless If There’s No Breast Cancer in Your Family
Many women think they’re not at risk for breast cancer if no one in their family has had it. But that’s not true.
Less than 15% of women with breast cancer have a relative who’s had the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
Get all lumps checked by a surgeon, whether or not breast cancer runs in your family.

Dr. Ashish Enos
Specialist General. Surgeon
Thumbay Hospital Daycare, Rolla

For appointments contact us through

Phone: +971 6 5440555
Email: thdaycare.shj@thumbayhospital.ae
Online: www.appointments.thumbay.net
Location: Thumbay Hospital Daycare, Sharjah (Rolla), Opposite to Rolla Mall, Sharjah United Arab Emirat