No matter how small a lump is, it's important to have it looked at. While most of these conditions can wait until your next regular check-up, a breast lump should be examined immediately just to make sure.
Read on if you find a lump or bump on your...
Don't worry "It isn't really a big deal," says Toronto family physician Dr. Shafiq Qaadri. They most often go away on their own and are not associated with cancer.
Call the doctor if the mucocele becomes painful or so large that it is uncomfortable, interferes with your speech, eating or breathing. It can be removed surgically.
Don't worry These lumps are only occasionally cancerous. "Cancer in the thyroid is not very common," she says, accounting for only five per cent of cases. But, both under- and overactive thyroids need treatment, so it's best to see a doctor if you're concerned about a lump in this area.
Call the doctor if after having it diagnosed, the lump suddenly grows or is painless and hard.
Don't worry Because the lump is made up of normal tissues, not abnormal cells, "there's a less than one percent chance that cancer will occur in that area," says Dr. Sandra Messner, an expert in preventive oncology at Women's College Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. If they are very large or growing, they should be removed. Otherwise, these lumps are monitored with ultrasound for two years.
Call the doctor if after you've had it diagnosed as benign, it enlarges or changes in any way.
Breast cysts
What are they? A symptom of fibrocystic condition or fibrocystic change, breast cysts occur in more than 50 per cent of all women and are related to monthly changes in estrogen and progesterone levels. They contain fluid and can feel tender, soft or hard, depending on how much fluid is inside. They move easily and can grow, often becoming more painful prior to a menstrual period. Many women experience multiple cysts at once.
Don't worry Breast cysts are common, especially in the years leading up to menopause. "They're not precancerous because there aren't any abnormal cells there," says Messner. "It's just a collection of fluid."
Call the doctor if after you've had it diagnosed as benign, the cyst becomes very painful or gets significantly larger, as it may need to be drained.
Don't worry If the nodes are tender and there's an obvious source of infection or inflammation in the area, like a bug bite or a virus, they're reacting normally, says Eisenhauer. And they won't turn cancerous. "Cancer can, however, arise in nodes or spread to nodes from other places (e.g. breast cancer can spread to nodes in the arm pit)," so, you should definitely see a doctor if it continues to be enlarged for a long time after the infection disappears.
Call the doctor if the node is painless and hard or if there isn't any obvious reason, like an infection, for it to be enlarged. Or, if it remains swollen long after the infection disappears.
Don't worry "It's a skin lesion," explains Dr. Sandra Messner, an expert in preventive oncology at Women's College Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. "They're totally benign," even if they appear on the breast. They're rarely removed unless they become repeatedly infected.
Call the doctor if after you've had the cyst diagnosed, it becomes inflamed, painful or enlarged.
Don't worry "It is a benign condition," Eisenhauer says of the fatty lumps. And unless they're in a place that is cosmetically unappealing, they're rarely removed.
Call the doctor if they come up quickly, are hard or painless.
Don't worry Because they look so similar to a malignant mole, these bumps can cause a lot of anxiety, says Dr. David McLean, head of cancer prevention at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. But, "the chance of a seborrheic keratosis becoming a cancer is essentially zero," he says. "They just don't turn into cancer."
Call the doctor if you have never had a seborrheic keratosis before and can't differentiate the bump from a malignant mole. Or, if it is growing quickly or is bleeding. Otherwise, have it checked at your next doctor appointment just to make sure.
Don't worry "They are benign and they stay benign," says Dr. David McLean, head of cancer prevention at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. "They have essentially a zero cancer risk."
Call the doctor if they become extremely irritated, red or tender.
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