One random day and you noticed that something is different in your breast area. To your surprise, you found a lump. The next thing you think of is “What should I do?” You may start panicking and numerous thoughts cross your mind all at once. If this is what happened to you, you need to calm down first and compose yourself so you can act proactively and think reasonably. Read throughout to be properly guided on what you should do if you find a lump in your breast.

Some Statistics You Should Know

Approximately 8 out of 10 breast lumps are benign, meaning they are not cancerous. So if you feel a lump in your breast or under your arm, try not to panic. It’s a great idea to be aware of how your breasts usually look and feel so you are able to notice any changes in them.

What do normal breasts look like?

There is no such thing as a perfectly normal breast. Breasts come in all shapes and sizes, and even in a single individual, one breast can differ in size or shape compared to the other one. Even the nipples and the surrounding skin, they can also vary in colour, shape and size. Your breasts change when you have your menstrual period, when you conceive and breastfeed, and when you undergo puberty and menopause. What you can do to distinguish normal from unusual is to perform a self-breast examination. Check if there are unusual changes like lumps, thickening or changes in the skin. You can visually inspect your breasts in front of a mirror and then use your sense of touch to feel for abnormalities while standing, sitting, or lying down.

What does a breast lump feel like?

A breast lump feels like a distinct, solid or thick spot within the breast tissue that is noticeably different from the surrounding tissue. Breast lumps can vary in size which can be as small as a pea or as large as a golf ball. In texture, too. They may feel round, smooth, and movable, or hard, jagged, and fixed in place. Some lumps cause pain or tenderness but many do not. It is not necessarily a sign of a serious health concern, and may come and go with your menstrual cycle.

Common Benign Causes of Breast Lumps

Here are some common causes of lumps in breasts.

Fibrocystic changes

This condition is also known as fibrocystic breast disease which can cause lumps due to the development of fluid-filled sacs called cysts and/or thickening of fibrous tissue. Since it’s not uncommon to have fibrocystic breasts, “fibrocystic breast disease” was dropped as the medical term. We can simply refer to it as “fibrocystic breasts.” Fibrocystic changes in the breast do not always cause symptoms. Some women may experience breast pain, tenderness, and lumpiness in the upper outer area. The symptoms are most bothersome before a period, and they get better over time.

Breast cysts

A breast cyst is a noncancerous sac in your breast filled with fluid. It happens when fluid fills empty milk ducts. These are more common in women who haven’t experienced menopause. Some are too small to notice through the sense of touch while other breast cysts can be large enough to make you uncomfortable. Clusters can form in one of your breasts or both. But these cysts have no connection with breast cancer. They are not a risk for this disease, and they also don’t develop into anything more serious. You are likely to get breast cysts if you:

• Fall between the ages 35 and 50
• Are still getting menstrual periods
• Are postmenopausal but are taking HRT

A large breast cyst manifests symptoms since small ones are so tiny you won’t feel them physically. You may feel a lump indicating a large breast cyst that is:

1. Soft or firm (but mostly, soft)
2. Round and smooth with distinct edges
3. Painful or tender before a period
4. Moveable under your skin

Fibroadenomas

A fibroadenoma is a solid breast lump that’s painless, ,unilateral and benign. This lump is not fluid and occurs most commonly in women between 14 and 35. They can be found at any age (premenopausal). It might feel like you have a pea in your breast, or a coin lying flat. If you touch it, it moves easily within the breast tissue. Your doctor may tell you to monitor for changes in its size and feel, and may suggest a biopsy to check the lump. It may require surgery to remove it.

Other causes

Other common causes of benign lumps in breasts are Phyllodes tumor, breast calcifications, breast infection, and breast cancer. What is important here is that you learn when to see a breast specialist when you notice a lump in your breast.

When to worry about a breast lump?

Set an appointment with your doctor to have that lump checked, especially if:

1. The lump is new.
2. It is firm or fixed.
3. It doesn’t go away after at least a month.
4. It has changed in size or in how it feels.
5. You notice a change in your breast colour.
6. There’s fluid coming out of the nipple more occasionally.
7. The nipple turned inward.
8. There’s a new lump in your armpit; if existing, the lump is getting bigger

Risk Factors of Breast Lumps

There are four non-controllable risk factors for breast lumps.

1. Breast lumps are more common in women in their 30s and 40s. But that depends on the type of lump.
2. If you are on your menstrual period. You may feel a breast lump before or during due to the extra fluid in your breasts.
3. If you are pregnant. They may feel lumpy because the mammary glands are multiplying and growing larger.
4. Hormonal changes such as transitioning from the reproductive period to menopause. These changes can make your breasts feel lumpier and tender.

The Importance of Professional Assessment

Self-diagnosis for any possible health condition is risky. The same is true with breast lumps. Even if it may be benign, it’s impossible to determine if a lump in the breast is cancerous or benign without professional evaluation. In your initial appointment with your breast specialist, you may be asked about your health history and undergo breast examination and imaging scans. The next steps will solely depend on the imaging results. If your healthcare provider believes that the breast lump is benign, you will undergo routine screenings in the future. If the cyst is tense and painful, they may remove the fluid. If it is not bloody, it will be removed.

Conclusion

Breast lumps have numerous possible causes. Most of the time, they are not cancer. But that doesn’t mean that you believe that yours is benign, too, if you feel one. Once you notice an unusual change in your breast, report this immediately to your doctor, so that both of you can take proactive steps in treating it. Treatment will be most successful if this lump is cancerous. Talk to a gynaecology clinic in Singapore now to discuss your concerns. Never ever delay treatment and/or prevention.