SPONSORED FEATURE
Breast Lumps – Types , Causes and Reasons for Concern
While having a lump in your breast is certainly concerning , it doesn ’ t necessarily mean that you have breast cancer . Dr Andrew Lee explains some common causes of breast lumps , and measures you can take to keep yourself in the pink of health .
LEE ANDREW CLAYTON General & Breast Surgeon Gleneagles Hospital
Dr Andrew Clayton Lee is a general surgeon and oncoplastic breast surgeon at Gleneagles Hospital , Singapore . Dr Lee specialises in performing oncoplastic breast surgical procedures to treat screen-detected benign and malignant breast conditions .
1 . I ’ ve a lump in my breast ? Is it a sign of breast cancer ? First of all , you shouldn ’ t panic . It is common to have breast lumps . Most of them are benign ( noncancerous ). Unfortunately , the most common sign of breast cancer is a painless lump .
What you need to do is to have it checked by a doctor and have some tests done to make sure that the lump is okay .
While breast cancer can ’ t be ruled out , you certainly shouldn ’ t panic . Most of the time , breast lumps are benign ( non-cancerous ) and are symptoms of a less serious problem . Be sure to arrange an appointment with your doctor to diagnose the issue .
2 . Besides cancer , what are some common causes of breast lumps and related treatment options ? There ’ re actually many causes of breast lumps . Some common ones come from the skin ( sebaceous cysts ) and fatty tissue surrounding the breast ( lipomas ), which can be left alone or removed depending on your preference . The common lumps that come from the breast itself include :
Fibroadenomas
These are usually found in ladies between the ages of 20 – 30 . They are usually small 1 – 2cm , smooth in their contour and very mobile . They arise from the milk glands where there is a benign overgrowth of tissue . For older ladies or larger lumps , we need to make sure that it is not a phyllodes tumour , which is a “ cousin condition ”.
Treatment options : Fibroadenomas can be safely left alone but occasionally your doctor may recommend it to be removed . Phyllodes tumour needs to be removed .
54 ISSUE 5 | 2022 GlobalHealthAndTravel . com