A breast lump is swelling, a growth, or a lump in the breast. Breast lumps in both men and women raise concern for breast cancer , even though most lumps are not cancer.
Both males and females of all ages have normal breast tissue. This tissue responds to hormone changes. Because of this, lumps can come and go.
Breast lumps may appear at any age:---
Both male and female infants may have breast lumps from their mother's estrogen when they are born. The lump will most often go away on its own as the estrogen clears from the baby's body.
Young girls often develop "breast buds," which appear just before the beginning of puberty. These bumps may be tender. They are common around age 9, but may happen as early as age 6.
Teenage boys may develop breast enlargement and lumps because of hormone changes in mid-puberty. Although this may be upsetting to boys, the lumps or growth almost always go away on their own over a period of months.
Causes--Lumps in a woman are often caused by fibrocystic changes, fibroadenomas, and cysts.
Fibrocystic changes are painful, lumpy breasts. Fibrocystic breast changes do not increase your risk of breast cancer. Symptoms are most often worse right before your menstrual period, and then improve after your period starts
Fibroadenomas are noncancerous lumps that feel rubbery. They move easily inside the breast tissue. Like fibrocystic changes, they occur most often during the reproductive years.They are most often not tender. Except in rare cases, they do not become cancerous later. A health care provider can feel during an exam whether a lump is a fibroadenoma. The only way to be sure, however, is to remove or biopsy the lump.
Cysts are fluid-filled sacs that often feel like soft grapes. These can sometimes be tender, often just before your menstrual period.
Other causes of breast lumps include:
· Breast cancer.
· Injury. Blood may collect and feel like a lump if your breast gets badly bruised. These lumps tend to get better on their own in a few days or weeks. If they do not improve, your provider may have to drain the blood.
· Lipoma. This is a collection of fatty tissue.
· Milk cysts (sacs filled with milk) and infections (mastitis ), which may turn into an abscess . These typically occur if you are breastfeeding or have recently given birth.
HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES
BRYONIA ALBA 1M- Bryonia alba is indicated when breast lump with stitching pain
CALCAREA CARB 30-.An excellent remedy for breast lump .Breasts are hot and swollen. Chronic cystic mastitis. Blunt duct adenosis; best remedy for fibroadenoma. Lump in breast is hard, nodular and tender to touch in the beginning. Then the pains are reduced and the lump turns to be hard due to calcification. Calcarea acts best when the tumours are calcified. These breasts are swollen and tender before menses. Deficient lactation. The breasts are distended in lymphatic women. Patient complains of profuse sweating around the genitalia with dirty smell . Inflammatory condition of the breast. With breast condition patient has the mental symptoms due to sufferings. Patient is anxious, tired and weak, both mentally and physically.
CALCAREA FLOUR 30- Calcarea flour. Is another top remedy for lump in breast. Lump in the breast which is hard, movable with clear margins which are sharp in nature, or their edges are sharply defined. Most commonly they are solitary, very rarely multiple. Occurs in young patients usually unmarried. Nodules are in upper right quadrants. The patient is sad and depressed due to financial condition. Confused due to melancholic condition of mind. Patient is chilly, and she is very sensitive to cold air, cold wind and cold atmosphere in general. Genitals are sore. Urine is copious and offensive. Pain at the tip of the urethra while urinating and after the act. Pain in back extending to sacrum.
CONIUM MACULATUM 30-Conium maculatum is one of the top remedies for breast lump. Here the mammary glands are hard and sore. A typical carcinoma of the breast, that is, scirrhous adenocarcinoma, which begins in the ducts and ends in the parenchyma. As the stage advances the Cooper's ligament shortens and thus it produces the notch. Sometimes the condition is associated with the inflammation of the breast tissue. The region is hard and nodular, tender to touch. Burning and stinging pains in the breast. The skin over the tumour is adherent. Occasionally there is discharge of pus from the nipple. The lesion is hard, almost cartilaginous. The edges are distinct, serrated and irregular; associated with productive fibrosis.
BARYTA CARB 30-- Baryta carb is very effective for breast lump.Inflammation, induration and enlargement are the fundamental pathogeneses of this drug. The mammary gland is enlarged and there is a lump, which is hard. There is very sensitive to touch. The glands which are enlarged are tender with infiltration. The women of late twenties are affected. These patients present with hard but not serrated mass with firm rubbery consistency. Their edges are sharply defined. Most commonly the tumours solitary. or occasionally are multiple. They are differentiated from cancer by smooth rather than irregular lobulations. A bloody discharge from nipple is indication of this drug. All the glands of the body are very sensitive to cold and they are worse by taking cold. The skin over the gland becomes ulcerated. It is seen that this remedy works better in Paget's disease of nipple which is supposed to be primary carcinoma of the mammary gland.
BELLIS PERENNIS 30-Bellis perennis is prescribed when the lump is caused by a trauma that causes injury to deeper tissues of the breast . The main indication is sore, bruised feeling in breast. Breasts engorged.
CHIMAPHILIA UMBELLATA 30- Chimaphilia is indicated for painful tumor of mammae in women of large breasts
HYDRASTIS CANADENSIS 30—Hydrastis is prescribed to those patients who have the tendency to indurated glands. Swelling of the mammary glands. Fat necrosis and glandular cell myoblastoma are common in this remedy. Fat necrosis tumour is probably post-traumatic. Patient complains of pain and tenderness. The lesion is fixed to the breast tissue, which sometimes causes dimpling of the overlying skin. Engorged nipples, cracks and discharges of watery fluid or there is serosanguinous discharge. The patient is weak and emaciated, fainting due to improper assimilation or defective assimilation. All-gone sensation or empty feeling in the stomach, not relieved by eating. Chronic catarrhal condition of the membrane of the stomach. Patient is thirstless. Obstinate constipation, colicky and crampy pain in the abdomen. Liver is enlarged and tender.
IODUM 30-This remedy predominantly acts on the enlargement of the mammary glands which may be either neo-plastic or malignant. The mucous membranes of the glands and the breast tissue are inflamed. The breast tissues are hypertrophied, enlarged, hard and nodular. Emaciation of the patient due to malabsorption. The tumours are well differentiated. They have a discrete capsule. Small lesions present leaf-like intracanalicular protrusions and large lesions have cystic space. Inflammation of the lesions, ulceration occasionally, excoriating and acrid discharge from the nipple or from the lesion. Oedematous swelling of the affected breast.
LAPIS ALBUS 30-The main action of this remedy is on the glands of mammary region. These glands have the tendency to turn malignant. Remarkable results are observed in scrofulous condition of the glands. Fibroid tumours, intense burning pains in the parts. The tumours have pliability and a kind of softness rather than hardness. The margins are clear. The glands are elasticity, exactly the reverse of Calc. fluorica.
PHYTOLACCA DEC. 30-Phytolacca is another remedy effective for lump in breast. Mammae hard an very sensitive. Tumors of the breast with enlargement of axillary glands. When child nurses pain goes from the nipple all over the body. Irritable breast before and during menses.
PLUMBUM IODIDE 30-Plumbum iodide is another effective remedy for breast lump. There are indurations of breast, especially when a tendency to become inflamed , appears sore and painful.Indurations of great hardness and associated with a very dry skin.
SCROPHULARIA NODOSA Q-- Scrophularia has specific affinity for the breast. It is very useful in the dissipation of breast tumours.
THYROIDINUM 1M- An intercurrent remedy