Benign breast lumps
- Professor James Harvey, Consultant Oncoplastic and Cosmetic Breast Surgeon
Benign breast lumps are swellings or thicker areas in your breasts that are non-cancerous. It’s important to see your GP if you find a lump in your breast, or if you notice any unusual breast symptoms. Your doctor will need to check whether the lump needs further investigation, or treatment.
About breasts and breast lumps
Breasts vary in shape and size. They’re mostly made up of fatty tissue and glandular tissue. Glandular tissue produces milk if you’re breastfeeding. Tiny tubes called milk ducts carry milk from the glandular tissue to the nipple. A 'tail' of breast tissue goes up into your armpit.
Breasts are affected by hormones. If you have periods, breasts change size and shape throughout your monthly cycle. This also happens if you get pregnant. This means breasts can feel tender, heavy, and lumpy. This usually happens just before your period. It’s normal to feel lumpy areas in your breasts that come and go as your hormones change. But, if a lump appears and doesn’t go, see your GP for advice.
Everyone, including men, women, and transgender people, can get breast lumps.
Types of benign breast lumps
There are many lumps in breasts that are not cancer (benign breast lumps). Most are either fibroadenomas or cysts.
- Fibroadenomas. These are solid lumps caused by an overgrowth of normal tissue. They may move around freely and easily when you check your breast with your fingers. They’re not sore when you touch them. Fibroadenomas are the most common type of benign breast lump in younger women. You’re most likely to get one when you’re under 30.
- Cysts. These are round sacs of fluid that can build up in your breast. You can have one or more cysts, and they vary in size. You’re most likely to get a benign cyst in the breast after 35, and they can come and go.
Other, less common, types of benign breast lumps include the following.
- Breast infection (mastitis or an abscess). This can develop if you’re breastfeeding. It may be painful and cause redness, breast lumps, and swelling.
- Phyllodes tumour. This is a type of breast lump that’s usually benign. But some types can grow and come back if they aren’t removed completely. Very rarely, they can become a type of cancer. You’re most likely to get this type of benign breast lump between 40 and 50.
- Fat necrosis. These are firm lumps. They are usually due to scar tissue forming after an injury to your breast. It’s most common in people with large breasts.
- Sclerosing adenosis. This is usually a small, firm, and painful lump. This type of lump is sometimes found during breast screening. You can develop sclerosing adenosis at any age, but it’s more common in your 30s and 40s.
- Duct ectasia. This benign breast condition can develop around the time of the menopause. It can happen if the ducts under your nipples get blocked. This can cause your nipple to turn inwards. You may have a blood-stained discharge from your nipple too.
- Intraductal papilloma. Wart-like lumps (papillomas) form within one or more of the ducts just behind your nipple. Intraductal papilloma is most common in women over 40 and can be discovered by a routine scan.
- Gynaecomastia. This is where breast tissue starts to grow in men. This can happen because of an imbalance between the hormones oestrogen and testosterone. Gynaecomastia can make your breast tissue feel lumpy underneath your nipple, and your breast may get bigger. Lumps can develop in one or both breasts, and can sometimes be tender and sore.
Concerned about a lump or changes in your breast?
You can book an urgent GP appointment with us for an assessment, and help with referring you to a specialist for further tests if needed.
Causes of benign breast lumps
Benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps can develop for different reasons.
- Changes in hormones. Your hormone levels can affect your breasts. Hormonal changes may cause cysts and fibroadenomas. Hormones can also affect the lumps that come and go before and during your period. Men can get a benign breast lump called gynaecomastia.
- An injury to your breast. This can lead to fat necrosis, where scarring creates hard, fixed lumps.
- Problems during breastfeeding. This may lead to an infection (mastitis) or an abscess.
See our section Types of benign breast lump above for more information about causes of benign breast lumps.
Symptoms of benign breast lumps
Benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps can appear anywhere in your breast. They may or may not be painful, and can be large or small. Sometimes, a lump can develop alongside other symptoms.
See your GP if you get any of the following symptoms.
- A lump or thickening in your breast or armpit.
- A change in the size, shape, or feel of your breasts.
- Dimpling, puckering, a rash, or redness of the skin on your breast.
- A change in the shape or position of your nipple. An example is if it starts turning in towards your breast.
- Discharge from one or both nipples.
- Pain that doesn’t go away in one part of your breast or armpit.
Most breast lumps are benign. But these symptoms can sometimes be a sign of breast cancer. So, if you notice any unusual symptoms, get checked by a doctor. It can be hard to tell if a lump is benign or cancerous, just from how it looks and feels.
Diagnosis of benign breast lumps
You might feel a lump in your breasts when you’re checking them. Or a routine breast screening mammogram for women over 40 might discover a lump you hadn’t noticed.
Your GP will ask you about your symptoms and examine you. They may also ask you about your family history, and if a close relative has had breast cancer.
Your GP may ask you to come back for another appointment. They may want to see you at a different time in your menstrual cycle. This is because lumps can come and go at certain times in your cycle.
You’ll usually need to have further tests if you have a breast lump. This is to check the lump is nothing worrying, and to make sure it’s not cancerous. Your GP will refer you to a doctor at a hospital or specialist breast clinic to have these tests. What tests you need will depend on what symptoms you have, and your age. You may be asked to have:
- a mammogram – this is an X-ray of your breast
- ultrasound – this gives an image of the inside of your breast
You might have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan if your doctors are not sure of the diagnosis after your mammogram and ultrasound scans.
What should I do if I'm embarrassed to talk to my doctor?
Seeing a doctor when you're embarrassed | Watch in 2:08 minutes
Dr Naveen Puri talks about how to make it easier to see a doctor about a health issue when you are feeling embarrassed.
Hello, I am Dr Naveen Puri, I am one of the GPs within Bupa Health Clinics.
Today I want to speak to you about embarrassing problems you might have and what we can do if you attend one of our clinics.
I want you to know that many people feel embarrassed or concerned about speaking about certain things with their doctors, but I'm here to reassure you these are the kinds of things we deal with every day.
For me, looking at someone's bottom or their breasts or their genitalia is no different to looking at their nose or elbow.
And that's true for all doctors as we train for many years in these parts of the body and are very used to having these conversations with people just like you.
So what I would encourage you to do if you have any concerns from your perspective, be it a change in your bowel habit, be it a lump, a rash, a swelling. Something on your genitalia or a part of your body you're not particularly familiar with or feel uncomfortable discussing.
Please be assured your doctor has done it all before.
Some of the ways we find patients find it easier to speak to a doctor is to either tell the doctor you feel embarrassed up front. That way a doctor can make extra effort to make sure you feel comfortable.
Or some patients come to us with pieces of paper and will write the problem down and hand it to us. That way we can help with whatever is going on for you as well.
You may also find it helpful to ask for a specific doctor, someone you're familiar with in your practice. Or you might want to ask for a doctor of a specific gender, or background to your liking as well.
I'd also say, doctors do this every day so don't be alarmed if we ask you certain questions around your symptoms. It is purely so we can help you get the best outcome for your enquiry.
And then finally, feel free to use language that suits you as well. We don't expect you to know the medical words for things, or a name for your diagnosis. That's our job to find out for you.
So, take your time, see a doctor, and hopefully we can help put your mind at ease.
Treatment of benign breast lumps
Treatment for benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps depends on what type of lump you have. You won’t need any treatment for many lumps, unless you have symptoms or the lump is particularly big.
- You may not need any treatment if you have a fibroadenoma, unless it’s very large. If the lump is bigger than 3cm across, your doctor may suggest you have treatment to remove it.
- Benign cysts in breasts can be drained (aspirated) with a needle. Cysts in breasts usually go away on their own without treatment.
- If you have an abscess or other infection, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics for you. You may need to have your abscess drained using a needle or a small cut (incision).
- If you have a phyllodes tumour, your doctor will recommend an operation to remove it. This is because this type of lump can grow, and (rarely) turn cancerous.
- Fat necrosis lumps tend to disappear on their own without treatment.
- Sclerosing adenosis doesn’t usually need any treatment, but you may need painkillers.
- If you have duct ectasia, you probably won’t need treatment. This is unless there’s a lot of discharge from your nipple, or your nipple is turned inwards. If these things happen, you may need an operation on the nipple ducts.
- If you have an intraductal papilloma, your doctor will probably recommend removal. This would be removal of the papilloma through a needle with the help of a vacuum, or surgical removal.
- If you have gynaecomastia, it may go away on its own and not need treatment. But if it’s painful or you’re distressed by it, your doctor may recommend medicines or, sometimes, surgery.
Talk to your doctor for advice about which treatment is most suitable for you.
If you're pregnant
During pregnancy, your breasts will change in size and texture. This gets your body ready for breastfeeding. Your breasts may get bigger and feel sore and tender. Sometimes, benign breast lumps can develop or get bigger when you’re pregnant. Or a lump that was already there may be hidden as your breasts get bigger.
The most common breast lumps during pregnancy are:
- cysts
- milk-filled cysts called galactocoeles
- fibroadenomas
Breast cancer during pregnancy is rare. But if a breast lump is cancer, it can grow quickly. So, if you do notice a breast lump when you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, get it checked by a doctor as soon as you can.
Book a breast cancer screening
Get a 30 minute appointment with a GP, a physical breast check and a mammogram to spot the early signs of cancer.
There are 3 very common causes of benign breast lumps. A natural glandular change in your breasts is most common. If you have a lump though, it’s most likely to be a fibroadenoma if you’re under 35, and most likely to be a cyst if you’re over 35.
For more information, see our section: Types of benign breast lump.
Benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps can appear anywhere in your breast. Some lumps don’t produce any symptoms. They may or may not be painful, and can be large or small. Sometimes, a lump can develop alongside other symptoms. If you have any symptoms, it’s always best to go and see your GP. They will need to examine you and see if your lump may be benign or needs more investigation.
For more information, see our section: Symptoms of benign breast lump.
Treatment for benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps depends on what type of lump you have. Some benign lumps go away on their own. Many lumps don’t need to be removed, unless they give you symptoms or the lump is particularly big.
For more information, see our section: Treatment of benign breast lump.
It depends on what type of breast lump you have – some can be painful. Cysts and fibroadenomas can sometimes be painful, but usually they’re not tender. Gynaecomastia is a breast lump that men can get; it can sometimes be tender and sore.
For more information, see our section: Types of benign breast lump.
If you have a lump, it’s always best to go and see your GP so they can examine you. If there is a definite lump in your breast, you’ll need some tests to check if you have a non-cancerous (benign) lump, or if it might be cancer.
See your GP if you have a lump or thickening in your breast or armpit. Also go to them if you notice any changes to your breast or to the skin on your breast. Another reason is if your nipples change, or they start to discharge.
For more information, see our sections: Symptoms of benign breast lumps, and Diagnosis of benign breast lumps.
This depends on the type of benign (non-cancerous) breast lump and what is causing it. For example, benign lumps can come and go at certain times in your menstrual cycle. If you’re diagnosed with a fibroadenoma, these will usually stay the same or shrink away over many months. If you have breast cysts, you’ll likely be prone to more breast cysts until you’ve gone through the menopause. It’s important to get each new lump checked, even if previous lumps were found to be benign.
For more information, see our sections: Types of benign breast lump, and Causes of benign breast lumps.
Breast cancer
Breast screening and having a mammogram
A mammogram is an X-ray of your breasts that checks for signs of cancer.
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- Markus MacGill, Content editor
