What Are the Major Causes of Breast Lumps?

There are many causes of breast lumps and some of them are harmful – like it may be painful or dangerous and some causes are harmless. The category of breast lumps includes injuries, infections, non cancer growth and also cancer.

In United States, majority of women dies with breast cancer only. It is the second leading cause of the death among women. But nowdays the rate of the death due to breast cancer is declining. The fall in the graph of the death rate due to breast cancer may be due to the facts like earlier detection of breast cancer as well as improved treatments of the breast cancer. Usually most of the breast lumps are harmless (benign) but each and every lump must be get checked by a doctor to establish or exclude the diagnosis of cancer.

Breast lumps are also caused by infections which are known as mastitis. Mastitis is very common among the women especially who is lactating their baby. While lactating when the skin of the nipples is injured or cracked then the bacteria may enter the wound easily and cause infections. Usually in the breastfeeding feeding women a clogged milk duct is formed which is very hard and painful. So some treatments are available which prevent the hard and the painful area from resulting into an actual breast infection like mastitis.

Breast cancer may also be caused by injuries. If the breast of some woman has been injured by trauma then there will be a rupture of tiny blood vessels which causes an area of ​​localized bleeding and it can be felt as a lump. The injury results into the formation of lump in the breast. But these lumps are not cancerous.

There are some non-cancerous growth which causes breast lumps like breast cysts, fibrocystic changes and fibroadenomas.

1. Breast cysts – They are tiny sacs which are filled with fluid inside the breasts and also they are benign. Especially this problem is very common over the age of 35. During the period of menstrual cycle the size of the cysts often changes and they may be tender also.

2. Fibrocystic changes – It is characterized by the breasts which are almost grainy, lumpy and with many irregularities. Women may suffer from pain or lumps during fibrocystic changes.

3. Fibroadenomas – They are very common among the women and are non-cancerous. Usually women of 30-35 years suffer from this type of growth. They are solid, firm tumors which are usually painless or have a slight tender. Usually they grow in teenage or during pregnancy.

Source by Ryan Mutt