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What a Lump in Your Breast Could Mean (Besides Cancer)

It’s a typical morning and you’re in the shower, belting out Lady Gaga’s latest album, sudsing up your armpits, when you feel it: a panic-inducing lump in one of your breasts. You stop singing midchorus. Your heart starts racing. And a singular, terrifying thought forms. Wait, do I have cancer?

Discovering a breast lump can be deeply unsettling—and for good reason. Breast lumps are a symptom of breast cancer, the most common cancer in American women after skin cancer. Yet in many cases, bumpy boobs are actually NBD. So how can you distinguish between the benign and the worrisome? What should you do if you find an alarming growth? And how can you lower your risk of breast cancer?

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 The story of my lump

Cathy Comerford describes the confused and wildly emotional period between finding a lump in your breast, and - hopefully - getting the all-clear

Articles of Interest

Breast Lumps

Noticing a lump in your breast can be a very stressful. It important to realise that the majority of lumps will be benign, particularly in younger women; however, all lumps should be examined by a doctor. It is estimated that more than 90% of breast lumps in women from their early twenties to early fifties are found to be benign, or non-cancerous.

Common Benign Lumps

There are many possible causes of non-cancerous (benign) breast lumps. Two of the most common causes of benign single breast lumps are cysts and fibroadenomas. In addition, several other conditions can present themselves as lumps, such as fat necrosis and sclerosing adenosis

Common Breast Lumps That Aren’t Cancer

The first thing to do if you notice a lump in your breast? Don’t panic.

Fear, lumps and loathing

The problem with breasts is that, more than any other organ, they are constantly changing. Age, stages of the month, pregnancy, weaning and menopause give rise to an alarming variety of lumps, bumps, pains and swellings, all of which can be normal.

Is a lump in your breast always cancer? 4 signs of breast cancer

Breast lumps have many causes – sometimes cancer, but often not. If you notice a change in your breasts, it's natural to feel a bit anxious.

New Breast Mass

Breast masses are common and are associated with a wide spectrum of disease, from benign physiological adenosis to advanced malignancy.

Not all lumps are breast cancer: Benign breast disease

Changes to your breast can cause a lot of worry. This is understandable. But not all breast changes are a result of breast cancer.

What types of breast lumps indicate cancer?

Sometimes, a lump in the breast is a symptom of breast cancer. These lumps typically feel hard, uneven, and are painless. However, not all breast lumps indicate cancer.

When the Lump in Your Breast is NOT Cancer

Breast lumps have an uncanny ability to jump start your imagination in the most destructive way. Most women fear the worst and fixate on breast cancer, but as many as eight out of ten lumps are actually benign breast disease (non-cancerous).