Simple breast cyst:
- A noncancerous cyst (a fluid-filled swelling) common in 30 and 40-year-old women. Often causing tenderness, these cysts can be drained.
Breast fibro adenoma:
- A solid noncancerous tumor that is very common, especially in 20- and 30-year-old women. These lumps usually are not painful and can be moved around in the breast.
Fibrocystic breast disease:
- Another common condition in which noncancerous lumps may be tender and increase in size during the menstrual cycle.
Usual hyperplasia (enlargement of tissue) of the breast:
- In this condition, a biopsy of the breast may show normal looking noncancerous ductal cells multiplying in abnormal ways. This condition may slightly raise a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer.
Atypical hyperplasia of the breast:
- Even though noncancerous, this condition carries with it a 4 to 5 times greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to women without abnormal breast conditions. Sometimes discovered in a breast biopsy, this condition is characterized by unusual-looking cells multiplying in the lobules or in the ducts.
Intraductal papilloma:
- A noncancerous condition in which a mass grows inside the ducts of the breast. Symptoms can include a clear or bloody fluid from the nipple or a lump in the breast.
Adenosis of the breast:
- Although it may appear like breast cancer when viewed on a mammogram, breast adenosis is a noncancerous increase in the size of lobules in the breast. A biopsy may be necessary to rule out a diagnosis of breast cancer.
Phyllodes tumor:
- In this rare occurrence, a usually large, quickly growing breast tumor looks like a fibro adenoma in an ultrasound. It can be cancerous or noncancerous. Most cases of this condition arise in women during their 40s.
Fat necrosis:
- When an injury occurs in the fatty part of the breast, scar tissue can develop and appear similar to breast cancer when examined or in a mammogram.
Mastitis:
- Breast inflammation that causes pain, redness, swelling and warmth. Breastfeeding women are at increased risk for mastitis.
Breast calcifications:
- Mammograms often find pockets of calcium in the breast. Calcium patterns may lead to further tests or a biopsy to determine whether cancer is present.
Gynecomastia:
- Unusual increase in male breast tissue in newborns, boys and adult males.