They can occur in women of any age, and most are benign in nature. The most common types of lump are fibro-adenomas, lumps due to fibrocystic change, breast cysts and breast cancer. When assessing a breast lump, certain clinical features are important. These can help to determine which type of pathology is present. The likelihood of certain conditions depends mainly upon age.
Breast cancers are more often irregular in shape.
The texture of a lump can suggest its nature. Fibrocystic lumps can assume different degrees of texture. They are often hard but not always, and when assessing consistency, it is important to consider the texture of the normal surrounding breast tissue. Breast cancers are usually hard on palpation. This is not always the case however, and they can present in a similar way to the others listed above.