Breast symptoms including lumps, swelling, and nipple discharge are all possible symptoms of breast cancer, but more often they are symptoms of breast conditions that are benign – not cancer. Help keep your breasts healthy by paying attention to how they normally look and feel and let your health care provider know about any changes.
These 5 benign breast conditions often need no treatment, but some do. And some are linked with a higher risk for getting breast cancer later on.
Fibrosis and simple cysts
- Signs and symptoms can include lumps, swelling, tenderness, or pain.
- Treatment is not needed but may be used to help ease discomfort. Options may include heating pads, supportive bras, over-the-counter pain relievers, avoiding caffeine, removing cyst fluid, and surgery.
- This condition does not increase cancer risk.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
- LCIS usually does not cause a lump. It’s often diagnosed when a woman is being checked for another breast problem nearby.
- Most of the time LCIS does not need treatment, but in some cases a doctor will recommend surgery.
- LCIS increases the risk of breast cancer. Women with LCIS should talk to their health care provider about being screened more often, and/or trying to lower their risk through lifestyle changes, medication, or surgery.
Fibroadenomas
- Some fibroadenomas feel like a marble in the breast, but some can’t be felt and are only found on a mammogram or other imaging test. A biopsy is needed to fully diagnose it.
- Many doctors recommend removing fibroadenomas, especially if they’re growing. If they stop growing or if removing them may mean removing a lot of healthy breast tissue, a doctor may recommend leaving them in place and checking them often.
- Fibroadenomas slightly increase breast cancer risk.
Fat necrosis and oil cysts
- Damage to the breast from injury, surgery, or radiation treatment may cause a lump. The skin around it may look thicker, red, or bruised. This condition is more common in women with very large breasts.
- No treatment is needed unless the lump is causing discomfort.
- This condition does not increase breast cancer risk.
Mastitis
- An infection may cause swelling in the breast, especially in women who are breastfeeding. The breast may be painful, red, and warm to the touch.
- Mastitis is usually treated with antibiotics. If antibiotics don’t seem to be helping after a week or so, go back to the doctor since symptoms of this infection are similar to the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer.
- Mastitis does not increase breast cancer risk.
See Non-Cancerous Breast Conditions for a more detailed list.
Men
Men can get breast cancer and benign breast conditions too, although it is much less common. Men should have any breast changes checked out by a health care provider. Symptoms may include:
- A breast lump or swelling, which is often (but not always) painless
- A lump or swelling under the arm or around the collar bone
- Skin dimpling or puckering
- Nipple retraction (turning inward)
- Redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin
- Discharge from the nipple