Causes of breast lumps



	Most breast lumps are benign (non-cancerous), as in fibroadenoma, a condition that mostly affects women under age 30. Fibrocystic breast changes occur in more than 60% of all women. Fibrocystic breast cysts change in size with the menstrual cycle, whereas a lump from fibroadenoma does not. While most breast lumps are benign, it is important to identify those that are not. See your health care provider if a lump is new, persistent, growing, hard, immobile, or causing skin deformities.

Review Date: 12/15/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.

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