Breast lumps and cancer

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Causes of Breast Lumps

Female breast

Cancer and breast lumps

It is understandable that a newly discovered breast lump may cause fear and concern, but the fact is that only a small percentage of lumps turn out to be cancer. Many women have "lumpy breasts" or fibrocystic breast disease, a common and benign (harmless) condition.

If you have this condition, examining your breasts can be confusing and, at times, alarming. It is still very important to check your breasts at the same time each month and bring anything that feels new or different to your doctor's attention. It may be helpful to know that a cancerous lump tends to be hard and unmovable. See breast lump and fibroadenoma.

Review Date: 10/31/2005
Reviewed By: William Matsui, M.D., Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.