How do you know if a lump is benign?
Benign tumors often have a visual border of a protective sac that helps doctors diagnose them as benign. Your doctor may also order blood tests to check for the presence of cancer markers. In other cases, doctors will take a biopsy of the tumor to determine whether it's benign or malignant.
Blood tests, a biopsy, or imaging—like an X-ray—can determine if the tumor is benign or malignant.
There is no way to tell from symptoms alone if a tumor is benign or malignant. Often an MRI scan can reveal the tumor type, but in many cases, a biopsy is required.
Ultrasound can usually help differentiate between benign and malignant tumours based on shape, location, and a number of other sonographic characteristics. If the ultrasound is inconclusive, your doctor may request follow-up ultrasound to monitor the tumor or a radiologist may recommend a biopsy.
- your lump gets bigger.
- your lump is painful, red or hot.
- your lump is hard and does not move.
- your lump lasts more than 2 weeks.
- a lump grows back after it's been removed.
- you have a lump in the breast or testicles.
- you have a swelling on the side of your neck, armpit or groin that does not go down.
Lumps that are benign (not cancer) may be tender and feel smooth and mobile. A cancerous lump is more likely to feel hard, but some non-cancerous lumps can feel hard, too.
A biopsy is the most definitive way to determine if a tumor is benign or malignant. Additional tests like blood work or imaging (such as an MRI or x-ray) can be used to determine the characteristics of the tumor.
While many benign tumors do not need treatment, some do, especially if they are causing symptoms. Usually if a benign tumor requires treatment, we remove it surgically. Whenever possible, we use minimally invasive techniques, which require small incisions and have minimal recovery time.
In many cases, benign tumors need no treatment. Doctors may simply use "watchful waiting" to make sure they cause no problems. But treatment may be needed if symptoms are a problem. Surgery is a common type of treatment for benign tumors.
Imaging tests, such as CT scans or MRIs, are helpful in detecting masses or irregular tissue, but they alone can't tell the difference between cancerous cells and cells that aren't cancerous. For most cancers, the only way to make a diagnosis is to perform a biopsy to collect cells for closer examination.
Can benign lumps turn cancerous?
Both women and men can develop benign (noncancerous) breast lumps. This condition is known as benign breast disease. While these breast changes aren't cancerous or life-threatening, they may increase your risk of developing breast cancer later on.
Most women who have breast biopsies DO NOT have breast cancer. In fact, about 4 out of 5 breast biopsies are benign (not cancer).
Can a Radiologist See Breast Cancer from a Mammogram, Ultrasound, or MRI? While breast imaging techniques can find suspicious areas in your breast that may be cancer, they can't tell for sure if cancer is present. A breast biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of cancer.
An ultrasound scan uses sound waves to build up a picture of internal organs. It can helps doctors to know if a lump or abnormal area is cancer or not.
Cancerous tissue also shows up as white on a mammogram. Therefore it is sometimes hard to distinguish dense tissue from cancerous tissue. On an ultrasound cancerous tissue shows up black and dense tissue is still white, therefore cancers are easier to distinguish.
Bumps that are cancerous are typically large, hard, painless to the touch and appear spontaneously. The mass will grow in size steadily over the weeks and months. Cancerous lumps that can be felt from the outside of your body can appear in the breast, testicle, or neck, but also in the arms and legs.
Breast cancer lumps can vary in size. Typically, a lump has to be about one centimeter (about the size of a large lima bean) before a person can feel it; however, it depends on where the lump arises in the breast, how big the breast is, and how deep the lesion is.
A breast lump that's painless, hard, irregularly shaped and different from surrounding breast tissue might be breast cancer. Skin covering the lump may look red, dimpled or pitted like the skin of an orange. Your breast size and shape may change, or you may notice discharge from the nipple.
Most breast lumps – 80% of those biopsied – are benign (non-cancerous). Following are examples of the most common benign breast conditions which produce lumps. Fibrocystic changes: This is not a disease, but rather a benign (not cancer) condition affecting 50 to 60 percent of all women.
Both benign and malignant masses can be rounded and mobile. Only when cancers are quite advanced are they fixed to skin or the underlying chest wall, and not moveable. Any new, persistent, or changing lump in your breast should be evaluated by your physician.
Do benign lumps get bigger?
Benign tumors tend to grow slowly and have distinct borders. Benign tumors are not usually problematic. However, they can become large and compress structures nearby, causing pain or other medical complications.
Imaging tests used in diagnosing cancer may include a computerized tomography (CT) scan, bone scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) scan, ultrasound and X-ray, among others. Biopsy. During a biopsy, your doctor collects a sample of cells for testing in the laboratory.
Aside from leukemia, most cancers cannot be detected in routine blood work, such as a CBC test. However, specific blood tests are designed to identify tumor markers, which are chemicals and proteins that may be found in the blood in higher quantities than normal when cancer is present.
The results, called a pathology report, may be ready as soon as 2 or it may take as long as 10 days. How long it takes to get your biopsy results depends on how many tests are needed on the sample. Based on these tests, the laboratory processing your sample can learn if cancer is present and, if so, what type it is.
“Most benign tumors aren't life-threatening. They can be left alone as they are unlikely to cause damage to any other areas of your body. In fact, many individuals carry benign tumors that don't require treatment, such as moles, throughout their lives.”
But not all tumors are malignant, or cancerous, and not all are aggressive. Benign tumors, while sometimes painful and potentially dangerous, do not pose the threat that malignant tumors do. "Malignant cells are more likely to metastasize [invade other organs]," says Fernando U.
Mass Due to Benign Conditions
On a mammogram, benign tumors often appear round or oval (ellipsoid ) with clear, well-defined edges.
Benign (non-cancerous) brain tumours can usually be successfully removed with surgery and do not usually grow back. It often depends on whether the surgeon is able to safely remove all of the tumour. If there's some left, it can either be monitored with scans or treated with radiotherapy.
A breast lump that's painless, hard, irregularly shaped and different from surrounding breast tissue might be breast cancer. Skin covering the lump may look red, dimpled or pitted like the skin of an orange. Your breast size and shape may change, or you may notice discharge from the nipple.
Most people have some kind of benign skin growths such as freckles and moles, which may multiply or darken over time. Other benign skin growths include: Dermatofibromas – Small, firm, red or brown bumps caused by an accumulation of fibroblasts (soft tissue cells under the skin).
What kind of lump should I worry about?
Lumps that feel harder or different from the rest of the breast (or the other breast) or that feel like a change are a concern and should be checked. This type of lump may be a sign of breast cancer or a benign breast condition (such as a cyst or fibroadenoma).
Because sound waves echo differently from fluid-filled cysts and solid masses, an ultrasound can reveal tumors that may be cancerous. However, further testing will be necessary before a cancer diagnosis can be confirmed.
An ultrasound uses focused sound waves to create images of the inside of the body. Radiologists use ultrasound as a radiation-free way to determine the nature of a lump in the body–whether it is a tumor, a cyst, or something else entirely.
Bumps that are cancerous are typically large, hard, painless to the touch and appear spontaneously. The mass will grow in size steadily over the weeks and months. Cancerous lumps that can be felt from the outside of your body can appear in the breast, testicle, or neck, but also in the arms and legs.
Benign tumors are usually noninvasive, as per Dr. Dicker. But in unfortunate cases, they can become cancerous.
It was observed that tumors < 1 cm in size were benign in 46.3 percent of cases and tumors between 1 and 4 cm were benign approximately 20 percent of the time; conversely, tumors ≥ 7 cm were rarely benign, as only 6.3 percent of cases demonstrated nonmalignant histology.
References
- https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/diagnosed-with-benign-tumor.html
- https://www.breastcancer.org/benign-breast-conditions/cysts
- https://www.indianapolis-medical-malpractice-lawyer.com/blog/2018/04/did-the-radiologist-miss-something-and-you-suffered-harm/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/urology/news/new-studies-of-renal-masses-may-assist-in-patient-counseling/mac-20455060
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5392555/
- https://www.quora.com/Why-can-t-an-ultrasound-technician-tell-you-if-they-see-something-abnormal
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lymphoma/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352642
- https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lymphoma-hodgkin/diagnosis
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20370594
- https://cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu/breast-cancer-team/patients/bse/breastlumps
- https://cancer.ca/en/treatments/tests-and-procedures/ultrasound
- https://blog.radiology.virginia.edu/diagnosing-breast-cancer/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/lymphoma-diagnosis
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-chat/thread/theres-a-lump-but-scan-didnt-show-anything
- https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/screening/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lump/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6555335/
- https://moffitt.org/taking-care-of-your-health/taking-care-of-your-health-story-archive/can-blood-work-detect-cancer/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-can-you-have-cancer-without-knowing
- https://moffitt.org/cancers/hodgkin-lymphoma/faqs/what-does-a-rash-from-hodgkin-lymphoma-look-like/
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/getting-diagnosed/tests/ct-scan
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7802846/
- https://www.mountsinai.org/care/surgery/services/pediatric-surgery/conditions-we-treat/benign-tumors-lesions
- https://www.cancercenter.com/diagnosing-cancer/diagnostic-imaging
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/detection-diagnosis-staging/how-diagnosed.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2324368/
- https://www.radiology.ca/article/how-does-ultrasound-help-determine-if-lump-concern/
- https://www.bakerandgilchrist.com/blog/patient-notification-for-abnormal-imaging-results/
- https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/articles/what-does-a-breast-cancer-lump-feel-like
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16454607/
- https://www.cancerquest.org/patients/detection-and-diagnosis/ultrasound
- https://drbenkim.com/how-fast-does-cancer-grow-spread
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/cancer/guide/cancer-diagnosis-tests/
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/symptoms
- https://www.vicc.org/cancer-info/adult-hodgkin-lymphoma
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html
- https://thecentertx.com/cancer-types/lymph-node-cancer-secondary/
- https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/operations-tests-and-procedures/what-do-cancer-stages-and-grades-mean/
- https://bmchematol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2052-1839-13-9
- https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/diagnosis/going-for-tests
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/breast-cancer-tumors-or-benign-masses-430277
- https://www.cancervic.org.au/cancer-information/treatments/treatments-types/surgery/recovery-after-surgery.html
- https://www2.hse.ie/pregnancy-birth/scans-tests/ultrasound-scans/if-your-pregnancy-doesnt-show-on-an-ultrasound-scan/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lymphoma/symptoms-causes/syc-20352638
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/suspicious-breast-lumps/symptoms-causes/syc-20352786
- https://cco.amegroups.com/article/view/5182/html
- https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/what-are-benign-tumors-and-four-more-questions.h00-159536589.html
- https://www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis/tests/ultrasound-for-cancer.html
- https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer/how-fast-does-cancer-spread
- https://www.mylymphomateam.com/resources/understanding-blood-counts-in-lymphoma
- https://www.healthline.com/health/breast-cancer/can-a-radiologist-tell-if-it-is-breast-cancer
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/breast-ultrasound
- https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-06-cancers-suddenly-treatment.html
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/age
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/benign-brain-tumour/treatment/
- https://www.aapc.com/blog/48863-lesions-masses-and-tumors-oh-my/
- https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/5/cancer/prevention/early-detection-of-cancer-how-to-spot-cancer-early.html
- https://www.rockymountaincancercenters.com/blog/what-are-the-signs-of-lymphoma
- https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2019/12/what-does-a-breast-cancer-lump-feel-like/
- https://www.regionalonehealth.org/blog/2019/09/12/why-wont-my-imaging-technician-tell-me-what-theyre-seeing-on-my-test/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer/difference-between-benign-and-malignant-tumors
- https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2017/12/whats-the-difference-benign-and-malignant-tumors
- https://www.roswellpark.org/cancertalk/201805/if-brain-tumor-not-cancerous-why-do-anything-about-it
- https://radiopaedia.org/articles/lipoma?lang=us
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK385274/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-does-cancer-kill-you
- https://orthop.washington.edu/patient-care/articles/oncology/soft-tissue-masses.html
- https://www.stamfordhealth.org/healthflash-blog/womens-health/breast-biopsy/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/expert-answers/tumor/faq-20057829
- https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/diagnostic-tests/ultrasound-scan
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer-diagnosis/art-20046459
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/lumps-bumps-body-worry/
- https://www.foxchase.org/blog/cysts-vs-tumors-7-things-you-need-know
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/abdominal-ultrasound
- https://www.healthline.com/health/benign
- https://moffitt.org/taking-care-of-your-health/taking-care-of-your-health-story-archive/can-an-ultrasound-detect-cancer/
- https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/lymphoma
- https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/diagnosing-cancer/reports-and-results/understanding-your-complete-blood-count-cbc-tests
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/6270-benign-breast-disease
- https://www.webmd.com/cancer/what-is-a-biopsy
- https://www.mylymphomateam.com/resources/how-does-ultrasound-detect-lymphoma
- https://www.mskcc.org/news/common-breast-lumps-that-arent-cancer
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-does-malignant-and-benign-mean-514240
- https://vispdocs.com/can-benign-tumors-become-cancerous/
- https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/benign-tumors-causes-treatments
- https://www.stlukes-stl.com/health-content/medicine/33/000466.htm
- https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/l/lymphoma.html
- https://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c6839
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20370093
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17396-conditions-which-can-be-mistaken-for-tumors
- https://moffitt.org/cancers/lymphomas-hodgkin-and-non-hodgkin/faqs/how-do-they-test-for-lymphoma/
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/hodgkin-lymphoma/getting-diagnosed/seeing-your-gp
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer-pain/art-20045118
- https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/diagnosing-cancer/tests-and-procedures/biopsy
- https://lymphoma-action.org.uk/about-lymphoma-tests-diagnosis-and-staging/blood-tests
- https://www.northwell.edu/dermatology/conditions/benign-skin-growths
- https://www.lls.org/lymphoma/hodgkin-lymphoma/diagnosis
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/diagnosis/tumor-markers-fact-sheet
- https://www.lls.org/lymphoma/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/diagnosis
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/biopsy/art-20043922
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00256-019-03365-z
- https://www.ajronline.org/doi/10.2214/ajr.184.5.01841691?mobileUi=0
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/abdominal-mass
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2768634
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22121-benign-tumor
- https://www.thebump.com/a/ultrasound-wrong-gender
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lumps/
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21881-tumor
- https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/benign-vs-cancerous-breast-lumps
- https://www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis/tests/testing-biopsy-and-cytology-specimens-for-cancer/how-is-cancer-diagnosed.html
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/symptoms
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470204509703511/fulltext
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/diagnosis
- https://www.bci.org.au/breast-cancer-information/fact-sheets/breast-cysts/