What is benign breast disease?
If you feel a lump in your breast, your first thought may be that you havebreast cancer. Fortunately, most breast lumps are benign, meaning they’re not cancerous.
Breasts are complex structures, filled with glands, tissue and fat. It’s relatively common to develop a breast lump, cyst or tumor in your breast. This is known as benign breast disease. While these breast conditions aren’t cancerous or life-threatening, they may increase your risk of developing breast cancer in the future.
Despite most breast conditions being noncancerous, the best way to know for sure is to contact a healthcare provider. It’s also a good idea to become familiar with the look and feel of your breasts so you’re better able to notice changes.
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What are common types of benign breast disease?
There are many different types of benign breast disease. Benign breast disorders refer to any lump, cyst or other change in your breast tissue that isn’t cancerous.
Most of the following types don’t increase your cancer risk and don’t require treatment:
- Breast cysts:Up to 25% of breast lumps are fluid-filled cysts.Breast cystscan be tender and lumpy, but they don’t make you more prone to cancer. Cysts often go away without treatment.
- Fibroadenomas:These are the most common noncancerous solid breast tumors providers find in people with a vagin* between the ages of 15 to 35.Fibroadenomasdon’t increase cancer risk and often go away on their own.
- Fibrocystic breast changes:Fluctuating hormone levels can make breasts feel lumpy, dense and tender, especially right beforemenstruation. People with a vagin* between the ages of 30 to 50 are more likely to experiencefibrocystic breast changes, which go away without treatment.
- Hyperplasia:This condition occurs from an overgrowth of cells that line your mammary ducts or glands. A condition called usual (typical) hyperplasia slightly increases breast cancer risk, but doesn’t require surgery. If you haveatypical hyperplasia, your healthcare provider may recommend surgically removing the affected breast tissue because the condition may make you more prone to breast cancer.
- Intraductal papilloma:These small, wart-like growths form inside your mammary duct near your nipple. Intraductal papilloma may cause nipple discharge. The condition most commonly affects people with a vagin* between the ages of 30 to 50. Your risk of cancer goes up if you have five or more papillomas at one time. Surgery can remove these growths and reduce your cancer risk.
- Mammary duct ectasia:People who have reached menopause are more prone tomammary duct ectasia. It causes your milk ducts to swell, thicken and sometimes become blocked. Your nipple may turn inward or leak discharge. Also known as periductal mastitis, this condition doesn’t increase cancer risk. You may need antibiotics if a bacterial infection causes the inflammation and blockage. Otherwise, you don’t need treatment.
- Traumatic fat necrosis:These breast lumps form whenscar tissuereplaces breast tissue that’s been damaged by an injury, surgery orradiation therapy.Fat necrosisdoesn't raise your cancer risk and doesn’t need treatment.
- Adenosis: This is when the lobules (milk-producing part of your breast) in your breast grow larger and contain more glands than usual.
How common is benign breast disease?
Benign breast lumps in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) are common. Up to half of all women will experiencefibrocystic changesthat cause noncancerous breast lumps at some point in their lives. Men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) can also get benign breast disease, but it’s less common.
