What do breast lumps look like?
What do breast lumps look like?
A breast lump that’s painless, hard, irregularly shaped and different from surrounding breast tissue might be breast cancer. Skin covering the lump may look red, dimpled or pitted like the skin of an orange. Your breast size and shape may change, or you may notice discharge from the nipple.
What causes breast lumps?
There are different reasons why breast lumps develop. Most lumps are not cancerous and do not pose any risk. Causes include infection, trauma, fibroadenoma, cyst, fat necrosis, or fibrocystic breasts. Breast lumps may develop in both males and females, but they are much more common in females.
Are breast lumps painful?
A lump in your breast Lumps are often hard and painless, although some are painful. However, not all lumps are cancer. Benign breast conditions (like cysts) that can also cause lumps. Still, it’s important to have your doctor check out any new lump or mass right away.
How do you know if a lump is cancerous?
Bumps that are cancerous are typically large, hard, painless to the touch and appear spontaneously. The mass will grow in size steadily over the weeks and months. Cancerous lumps that can be felt from the outside of your body can appear in the breast, testicle, or neck, but also in the arms and legs.
How do you know if a breast lump is serious?
You find a new breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue. You notice a change in the size, shape or appearance of your breast. Breast pain doesn’t go away after your next period. You notice skin changes on your breast, such as itchiness, redness, scaling, dimpling or puckering.
How do I know if my breast lumps are normal?
“All breast lumps need to be evaluated by a physician, regardless of your age or where in your breast you feel the lump,” says Dr. Joshi. “More often than not, breast lumps are harmless.
How do you treat breast lumps?
How are breast lumps treated?
- Antibiotics for a breast infection.
- Fluid drainage for a breast cyst (if it is large or painful).
- Excisional biopsy to remove a mass (if suspicious for cancer, painful or enlarging).
- Cancer treatment if the lump is biopsy-proven breast cancer.
Do cancerous lumps hurt to touch?
Bumps that are cancerous are typically large, hard, painless to the touch and appear spontaneously. The mass will grow in size steadily over the weeks and months.
