Breast Pathology and Cancer Diagnosis

Benign Breast conditions

Benign (not cancer) breast conditions are very common and most breast changes are not cancer. A benign breast condition refers to a lump, cyst, or nipple discharge (fluid) of the female or male breast that is not cancerous. There are numerous benign breast conditions. For women, the most common ones are: Fibrocystic breast changes, Fibro adenomas, Mastitis, Fat necrosis, Calcification, Nipple discharge. Less common types of benign breast conditions include: Hyperplasia, Adenosis, Intraductal papillomas, Lipoma. Benign breast conditions are generally caused by a number of factors. Those factors include the makeup of breasts (fatty tissue vs. dense or thick tissue), age, hormone problems, hormone therapy, birth control pills, pregnancy, menopause, being overweight, infection, and breastfeeding. The exact cause can often be traced back to your specific diagnosis. These are rare in men. Men do have undeveloped milk ducts. The most common benign breast condition in men is called gynecomastia this condition enlarges breast tissue. It is caused by a hormone imbalance. It also can be caused by hormone therapy, some diseases, and being severely overweight.