Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Whether you havefibrocysticbreasts or cancer, the first sign is usually a lump in your breast.
Fibrocystic breast changes affect up to 90% of women during their lifetime.By comparison, 12% of women develop breast cancer.
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Fibrocystic breasts are most common in women who are 30–50 years old. Breast cancer is typically diagnosed after the age of 50.However, both conditions can occur at any age.
The first symptom of fibrocystic breasts and breast cancer is lumps, but there are a few telltale differences between them:
Pain
One way to tell whether a lump is a fibrocystic breast change or cancer is to determine whether it’s painful. In this context,painis a good sign. Fibrocystic breast changes grow quickly, pressing against tissues and causing pain. In contrast, 99% of cancerous lumps do not cause pain.
Timing, Size, and Texture
Fibrocystic breast lumps appear, change in size (getting larger or smaller), or cause more pain just before your menstrual period.These lumps are softer than cancer-related lumps and may feel spongy or stringy.
Cancerous lumps can appear at any time. They may consistently enlarge over time, but they don’t change during your monthly cycles. Breast cancer lumps typically feel firm or hard.
Swelling and Itching
The lumps associated with fibrocystic breast changes andsometypes of cancer may cause swelling or itching.
Other Breast Cancer Symptoms
In addition to a lump, breast cancer may cause any of the following symptoms:
Fibrocystic breast changes are common and usually harmless. Breast cancer, on the other hand, is a dangerous, life-threatening disease that spreads throughout the body if it’s not treated.
There are also stark differences in the causes of these conditions.
Causes of Fibrocystic Breast Changes
Hormonal fluctuations trigger two fibrocystic changes in your breasts: cysts (fluid-filled sacs) and fibrosis (tough, thickened tissues).
Cysts are too small to feel at first. If the fluid accumulates, the cysts enlarges, sometimes getting as large as 1-2 inches.
Cysts may be simple, complicated, or complex:
Fibrosis and simple cysts donotincrease your risk of cancer. Complicated and complex cysts have a small chance of becoming cancerous.
Causes of Breast Cancer
As with other cancers, breast cancer begins due to changes in genes that control cellular growth. As a result, the cells grow uncontrollably, forming tumors and spreading beyond the original site.
Breast cancer can start in cells throughout the breast, including:
There are differenttypes of breast cancer. Each one is classified according to the type of cell affected, the proteins and genes the cancer produces, and whether it responds to hormones like estrogen.Each type can get into blood and lymph vessels and spread into your body.
Some women have breasts that naturally feel lumpy all the time. It’s harder to recognize a new lump if you don’t perform routine breast exams.
Visit Your Healthcare Provider
If you find a lump, see your healthcare provider. After performing aclinical breast exam, they may diagnose fibrocystic changes or do additional tests to determine the type of lump.
Breast Ultrasound
If your healthcare provider can’t positively identify the type of lump, they may order or perform abreast ultrasound.This test helps them determine what the lump is made of, whether it’s a fibrocystic change (including the type of cyst) or suspicious for cancer.
Mammogram
Mammogramscreate images of your breasts using a low-dose X-ray. In most cases, a mammogram reveals cysts, benign tumors, and cancer.Dense breasts(breasts with more fibrous and glandular tissue than fat) can hide small lumps, so they don’t appear on the mammogram.
If there’s any doubt about your results, your healthcare provider may order an ultrasound (if you haven’t already had one) and other imaging tests like anMRIor3D mammography.
Biopsy
Abiopsyis a procedure that removes a sample of cells for analysis in a lab. In the case of a breast lump, the biopsy is looking for any cancerous cells. If cancer cells are present, your healthcare provider refers you to a breast cancer specialist (oncologist), who orders more tests to identify details about the cancer.
Fibrocystic breast changes often don’t require treatment.Breast cancer, on the other hand, requires intensivetreatments.
Treatment for Fibrocystic Breast Changes
You only needtreatment for fibrocystic breastchanges if you’re experiencing pain or discomfort. In that case, your healthcare provider may recommend treatments such as:
Some lifestyle changes can also help, including:
Treatment for Breast Cancer
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you’ll work with your oncologist, healthcare provider, and care team to determine the best breast cancer treatment for your specific circumstances. The treatments for breast cancer include:
Neither fibrocystic breast changes or breast cancer can be prevented entirely. However, there are lifestyle changes that may reduce your risk of each.
Prevention of Fibrocystic Breast Changes
Most women will experience fibrocystic breast changes at some point. Some women report that wearing a supportive bra and avoiding stimulants like caffeine can reduce the amount of fibrocystic breast changes they notice.
Preventing Breast Cancer
There are a number of risk factors that increase your odds of developing breast cancer. Many can’t be controlled. For example, breast cancer becomes more common with age, if you havedense breasts, and in women certaingenetic mutations.
Although there’s no way to prevent breast cancer entirely, there are ways to reduce your risk. These include:
Summary
Fibrocystic breast changes and breast cancer both cause lumps. However, fibrocystic changes have different causes, symptoms, and treatments compared to breast cancer.
Fibrocystic changes are common, rarely pose a risk of developing cancer, and usually cause pain or discomfort. Breast cancer is typically diagnosed at a later age than fibrocystic changes. Cancer also causes apainlesslump.
Though fibrocystic lumps seldom need treatment, early treatment is crucial if you have breast cancer. If you notice a lump, don’t wait to see your healthcare provider to rule out breast cancer.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chen YY, Fang WH, Wang CC, Kao TW, Chang YW, Yang HF, Wu CJ, Sun YS, Chen WL.Examining the associations among fibrocystic breast change, total lean mass, and percent body fat. Sci Rep. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27546-3.National Cancer Institute.Breast cancer risk in American women.MD Anderson Cancer Center.Breast cysts and breast cancer: How can you tell the difference?Susan G. Komen.If you find a lump.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptomsAmerican Cancer Society.Fibrocystic changes in the breast.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Treating breast cancer.CDC.What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chen YY, Fang WH, Wang CC, Kao TW, Chang YW, Yang HF, Wu CJ, Sun YS, Chen WL.Examining the associations among fibrocystic breast change, total lean mass, and percent body fat. Sci Rep. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27546-3.National Cancer Institute.Breast cancer risk in American women.MD Anderson Cancer Center.Breast cysts and breast cancer: How can you tell the difference?Susan G. Komen.If you find a lump.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptomsAmerican Cancer Society.Fibrocystic changes in the breast.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Treating breast cancer.CDC.What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Chen YY, Fang WH, Wang CC, Kao TW, Chang YW, Yang HF, Wu CJ, Sun YS, Chen WL.Examining the associations among fibrocystic breast change, total lean mass, and percent body fat. Sci Rep. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27546-3.National Cancer Institute.Breast cancer risk in American women.MD Anderson Cancer Center.Breast cysts and breast cancer: How can you tell the difference?Susan G. Komen.If you find a lump.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptomsAmerican Cancer Society.Fibrocystic changes in the breast.American Cancer Society.Breast cancer.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.American Cancer Society.Treating breast cancer.CDC.What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
Chen YY, Fang WH, Wang CC, Kao TW, Chang YW, Yang HF, Wu CJ, Sun YS, Chen WL.Examining the associations among fibrocystic breast change, total lean mass, and percent body fat. Sci Rep. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27546-3.
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MD Anderson Cancer Center.Breast cysts and breast cancer: How can you tell the difference?
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American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptoms
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American Cancer Society.Breast cancer.
American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.
American Cancer Society.Treating breast cancer.
CDC.What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
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