What is a Benign Lump?
Benign lumps can occur anywhere in the body, but are especially common in the breasts. Hormonal fluctuations cause many benign breast lumps, but infection can also cause lumps. Benign lumps in the breasts are a nuisance, but are not usually serious.
Lumps elsewhere can be, however. Tumors that develop in the brain or other organs, for instance, can interfere with normal physiological processes.
Although most lumps are benign, you should get any suspicious swelling or lump checked out by your physician.
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Types
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There are several kinds of benign lumps. Some are fluid-filled cysts, others are clumps of fat, blood vessels, tissue, or skin. Benign lumps can be large or small, they can appear singularly or in clusters, and some can grow.
Identification
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To determine if a lump is benign, a doctor may first manually feel the lump, if it is on the breast or another area where it can be palpated. Benign tumors sometimes have a different feel than malignant tumors.
If a doctor suspects the lump could be malignant, she will schedule the patient for a biopsy. Laboratory specialists will view cells from the lump under a microscope to determine if cancer cells are present. -
Features
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Benign lumps are non-cancerous tumors. This means that the cells will not invade other cells or spread to other areas of the body. The lump may become larger, but it will not spread and invade other areas as malignant tumors do. Many benign lumps may form at the same time in the body; however, this is not the same as having cancerous tumors, which spread. For example, women commonly get many benign lumps in the breast at once.
Prevention/Solution
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Benign lumps often require no treatment unless the lumps grow excessively large or produce other ill effects on the body. If benign lumps are growing in an area that may interfere with normal function, or if the lumps are cosmetically displeasing, a doctor may surgically remove them.
Breast lumps caused by hormone fluctuations may disappear on their own.
Warning
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Although many lumps are benign, if you discover any lump, always get checked out by a doctor. If the tumor does turn out to be cancerous, the sooner you get treatment, the better your prognosis.
Considerations
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Lumps in the armpits may indicate swollen lymph nodes. These may swell due to an infection, a cyst, or cancer. See your doctor if you have a lump in your armpit, especially if this occurs in conjunction with lumps in your breasts.
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