Lumps in the breasts

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Breast Lump Removal: Illustrated Series

Causes of breast lumps

Female breast

Normal female breast anatomy

FIBROADENOMA

While the cause is not known, some research suggests that increased fat consumption may play a role. The highest incidence is in women from their teen years into their 20s. Fibroadenomas rarely develop after age 30. Single or multiple fibroadenomas may develop in one or both breasts.

FAT NECROSIS

Trauma is presumed to be the cause. Bruising is occasionally noted near the lump and the area may or may not be tender. The mass may be associated with skin or nipple retraction as time progresses. A fat necrosis mass cannot be distinguished from breast cancer without biopsy.

BREAST ABSCESS

In breast-feeding women, a local breast infection introduced through the nipple may wall off into an abscess. Young to middle-aged women who are not breast-feeding rarely develop subareolar abscesses (located beneath the areola, which is the darker area around the nipple).

Abscesses in breast tissue other than the subareolar area are excessively rare in women who are not breast-feeding, and such abscesses should be surgically removed and biopsied.

BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer may occur in men and women, but it is much more common in women. While the cause is unknown, a number of predisposing factors have been identified.

Recent statistics say that 1 in 8 or 9 American women will develop breast cancer at some point in her life. Risk increases exponentially after age 30. The average age of women diagnosed with breast cancer is 60. In general, the rate of breast cancer is lower in underdeveloped countries and higher in more affluent countries (with the exception of Japan, where the rate is quite low).

In the United States, whites (especially those of northern European descent) have a higher incidence compared with other racial groups. However, the incidence in blacks is increasing, particularly in women less than 60.

Other risk factors include: family history of breast cancer, particularly in mother or siblings; past medical history of breast, ovarian, uterine, or colon cancer; menstrual history consistent with early menarche (first period before age 12) or late menopause (after age 50); no pregnancies or first pregnancy after age 40; and radiation exposure.

Postmenopausal estrogen therapy and oral contraceptive use are considered possible risk factors, but the majority of recent studies do not indicate such risk.

Although the majority of breast cancers occur in postmenopausal women, it can also occur in women who are in their 30s or 40s. This is rare. In these cases, the cancers may have a strong genetic link.

Review Date: 10/31/2005
Reviewed By: Jeremy Goverman, M.D., Department of Trauma and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.