Every woman fears finding a lump in her breast, but in most cases breast lumps turn out to be harmless. Some lumps are first found during self-examination, while others get noticed during a visit to the doctor.
Detection
Self-breast exams should be performed monthly and involve a visual inspection of the breasts in the mirror and a physical inspection while lying down using the fingers moved in small circles along the entire breast. A doctor should perform a breast inspection every one to two years as a part of a woman's regular health checkups after the age of 20. Mammograms can also detect breast lumps, and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommends regular mammograms every two years for women over 50.
Causes
According to The Merck Manual, the most common causes of breast lumps are fibroadenomas, painless lumps that are noncancerous and fibrocystic changes in breast tissue, which can include changes in tissue texture and cysts. Other causes may include an infection or abscess in the breast, a milk-filled cyst called a galactocele, an intraductal papilloma inside a milk duct and breast cancer, which may or may not be painful.
Tests
A doctor may have difficulty diagnosing the cause and seriousness of a breast lump from visual inspection alone, so other tests may be warranted. The doctor may recommend a biopsy of the lump, in which tissue is taken from the growth to be inspected under a microscope. A needle aspiration, in which fluid is removed via needle and examined, may also be performed on a suspect lump. Some women will require magnetic resonance imaging, or an MRI, or ultrasound to examine the structure of the lump.
Prevention
Many of the causes of breast lumps cannot be prevented, but those caused by fibrocystic changes in breast tissue may be mitigated. Birth control pills tend to lower the incidence of these types of breast tissue changes. According to MedlinePlus, other things that may help women who frequently experience these harmless breast lumps include avoiding caffeine and alcohol; increasing fiber in the diet; and supplementing with vitamin B complex, vitamin E or evening primrose oil.
Considerations
Most breast lumps turn out to be harmless, but all new lumps found in the breast should be taken seriously in case they do happen to be cancerous. If skin dimpling, changes in the nipple, nipple discharge or bruising on the breast occur, a doctor should be consulted since these changes may indicate the existence of breast cancer. However, sometimes breast cancer does not exhibit any of these changes, so a doctor should be consulted about any suspicious lump. Breast cancer may be treatable if caught early enough.
