The breasts respond to hormones and growth factors from the body, to undergo cycles of proliferation and development throughout a woman's life. Each breast contains a series of milk-producing lobules, connected to the nipple by a series of tubes called ducts, which collectively form a branching structure within the breast. Masses may develop in the breast when breast cell behavior becomes dysregulated, leading to the formation of a fluid-filled or solid lump. A breast mass can indicate a range of disorders, from relatively harmless benign growths to potentially life-threatening malignancies.
Cysts
A common type of breast mass is a cyst, a fluid-filled, generally non-cancerous growth within the breast tissue. The University of Virginia Health System reports that cysts are most common women aged 35 and 50, and in women approaching menopause. Cysts may occur deep within the breast, and may feel like a hard lump, since the cyst will be covered in scar tissue. Cysts nearer to the skin may feel softer, like a blister. In many cases, the cyst can feel tender and painful to the touch.
The treatment for a breast cyst involves draining the liquid within the growth. The doctor will insert a fine needle through the skin and into the cyst, and draw liquid into the needle. Once the fluid has been drained, the cyst collapses and heals itself.
Benign Solid Masses
Many other types of breast masses are benign breast tumors, which develop from uncontrolled proliferation of breast cells. There are a number of types of solid breast lumps, which may develop within the lobules or ducts of the breast, or within the surrounding stromal tissue. The masses may be detectable as lumps during a physical breast examination, or as a visible masses on a mammogram. Since these masses are benign, and do not invade other tissues, a common course of treatment is surgery to remove the mass. Imaginis, a women's health resource website, indicates that the presence of some benign lumps can develop into cancer if left untreated, and that patients who previously had treatment for a benign breast lump should be monitored to detect any additional masses in the breasts.
Malignant Masses
The most serious breast masses are malignant breast masses, or breast cancers. Breast cancers stem from uncontrolled proliferation of breast cells, which progress and gain the ability to invade neighboring tissue. The cancer invades the lymph nodes surrounding the breast, and it can eventually travel throughout the body, or metastasize, to form tumors in distant organs.
Breast cancer most commonly occurs in the ducts of the breast to form invasive ductal carcinoma, which accounts for around 80 percent of breast cancer diagnoses, reports Imaginis. Breast cancer can also develop in the lobules of the breast, called invasive lobular carcinoma, or in or around the nipple, which is known as Paget disease of the nipple or breast. Another rare form of cancer called inflammatory breast cancer blocks the lymph vessels in the breast. Early detection of breast cancer through regular breast examinations and mammograms greatly increases the efficacy of treatment, and improves patient prognosis.
