Lump on Chest: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatments (2023)

FAQs

What causes lumps on the chest? ›

A painless lump on the chest can most commonly be caused by a skin condition like an abscess, wart, or cysts. Rare causes for a painless chest wall lump include non cancerous cell growth known as lipoma, dermatofibroma, or breast cancer.

Chest lumps caused by mild conditions like minor injuries or infections are usually temporary. They will subside as the underlying condition resolves or your doctor's treatment begins to take effect. Chest lumps that persist in growth over time may signal more serious conditions, such as cancerous tumors.

Non-cancerous chest wall tumors are fairly common. They require treatment only when they cause problems, such as pain or difficulty breathing. Types of benign chest wall tumors include osteochondroma, chondroma, and fibrous dysplasia. Malignant chest wall tumors are much rarer and require treatment.

The most common cause of skin lumps is trauma or injury. This type of lump is sometimes called a goose egg. It occurs when you hit your head or another part of your body. Your skin will begin to swell, causing a lump that may also be bruised.

Finding a breast lump or other change in a breast might cause worry about breast cancer. That's understandable. But breast lumps are common. Most often they're noncancerous (benign), particularly in younger women.

The GP will look at your lump. They may be able to tell you what's causing it. If they're unsure, they might refer you to hospital for tests, such as a biopsy (where a very small sample of the lump is removed and tested) or an ultrasound scan.

A cancerous lump is usually hard, not soft or squishy. And it often has angular, irregular, asymmetrical edges, as opposed to being smooth, Dr. Comander says.

It's important to talk with your doctor about any lumps that are larger than two inches (about the size of a golf ball), grow larger, or are painful regardless of their location. “Tell your doctor about new lumps or other symptoms that cannot be explained or that don't go away in a few weeks,” Dr. Shepard says.

'Most lumps are usually nothing to worry about,' says Dr Roshaan Saloojee, a Livi GP. 'But sometimes a lump may need treatment or immediate care. You should see a GP if you have concerns about a lump or if it persists for more than 2 weeks.

What is the most common chest mass? ›

The most common primary malignant chest wall tumors are chondrosarcomas.

Chest X-ray

Most lung tumours appear on X-rays as a white-grey mass. However, chest X-rays cannot give a definitive diagnosis because they often cannot distinguish between cancer and other conditions, such as a lung abscess (a collection of pus that forms in the lungs).

An exostosis, also called a bony spur, occurs when a bony growth extends beyond a bone's usual smooth surface. Exostosis can cause chronic pain or irritation, depending on its size and location. See chest wall pain. Sometimes, cartilage will grow over an area of exostosis, which is called osteochondroma.

Fibroadenomas are solid, smooth, firm, noncancerous (benign) lumps that are most commonly found in women in their 20s and 30s. They are the most common benign lumps in women and can occur at any age.

Most lumps and swellings are benign (not cancerous) and are harmless, especially the kind that feel soft and roll easily under the fingers (such as lipomas and cysts). A lump or swelling that appears suddenly (over 24 to 48 hours) and is painful is usually caused by an injury or an infection.

However, the only way to confirm whether a cyst or tumor is cancerous is to have it biopsied by your doctor. This involves surgically removing some or all of the lump. They'll look at the tissue from the cyst or tumor under a microscope to check for cancer cells.

If you feel the same lumpiness in both breasts, or there isn't one lump that's firmer than the others, it's most likely your normal breast tissue. That said, if you find a lump that feels harder, in only one breast, or one that just feels different than what you usually feel, address it with your doctor.

Although any lump formed by body cells may be referred to technically as a tumor. Not all tumors are malignant (cancerous). Most breast lumps – 80% of those biopsied – are benign (non-cancerous). Following are examples of the most common benign breast conditions which produce lumps.

A lump or mass in the breast is the most common symptom of breast cancer. Lumps are often hard and painless, although some are painful. However, not all lumps are cancer. Benign breast conditions (like cysts) that can also cause lumps.

Dermatologists are specially trained to know which lump or bump needs to be biopsied, which need to be treated or removed, and which can be left alone.

What kind of doctor treats lumps under the skin? ›

Your dermatologist can do a physical exam to diagnose your skin lump. If there's something concerning (for example, a skin lump or bump is growing), then a biopsy will likely be recommended, says Seminario-Vidal. Depending on where the lump is located or how deep it is under the skin, a dermatologist can do the biopsy.

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.

If you have been diagnosed as having a non-cancerous lump in your breast, you don't have to live with it. You can have it removed, without surgery. The breast specialists of Bedford Breast Center offer the finest, most comprehensive fibroadenoma treatment in Los Angeles.

Breast lump treatment includes: Antibiotics for a breast infection. Fluid drainage for a breast cyst (if it is large or painful). Excisional biopsy to remove a mass (if suspicious for cancer, painful or enlarging).

The lump is new and feels firm or fixed. The lump doesn't go away after 4 to 6 weeks. Or it has changed in size or in how it feels. You notice skin changes on your breast such as crusting, dimpling, puckering, or a change in color, including red and pink.

In many cases, they go away without treatment. It's not always possible to tell exactly what caused a lump. If you notice one, keep an eye on it. In general, soft, movable lumps are harmless and will likely improve with time.

A lumpectomy is usually performed using general anesthesia, which will put you into a sleep-like state during the procedure. Your surgeon will make an incision over the tumor or over the area that contains the wire or seed, remove the tumor and some surrounding tissue, and send it to the lab for analysis.

For 1 or 2 days after the surgery, you will probably feel tired and have some pain. The skin around the cut (incision) may feel firm, swollen, and tender, and be bruised. Tenderness should go away in about 2 or 3 days, and the bruising within 2 weeks. Firmness and swelling may last for 3 to 6 months.

What is the difference between a nodule and a mass? ›

Tumors that are generally larger than three centimeters (1.2 inches) are called masses. If your tumor is three centimeters or less in diameter, it's commonly called a nodule.

Lipomas can occur anywhere in the body. They are typically: Situated just under the skin. They commonly occur in the neck, shoulders, back, abdomen, arms and thighs.

Lipomas represent the most common soft-tissue chest wall tumors. They are well-circumscribed, encapsulated masses of adipose tissue that may lie deep within the chest wall and/or protrude into the thorax displacing the pleura mimicking other benign or malignant pleural lesions.

Tumors in the chest wall typically manifest as painful, quickly growing and easily palpable masses. Surgery is often necessary, and may be followed by plastic surgery reconstruction to recreate a normal appearance.

MRI has proven valuable in diagnosing a broad range of conditions, including heart and vascular disease, heart valve abnormalities, bone, and other soft tissue abnormalities of the chest. MRI is also useful for staging tumors.

Why is this test done? A CT scan of the chest can help find problems such as infection, lung cancer, blocked blood flow in the lung (pulmonary embolism), and other lung problems. It also can be used to see if cancer has spread into the chest from another area of the body.

Chest wall tumors are growths that form in your chest wall, which is the protective structure surrounding your heart, lungs and liver. They may be cancerous or noncancerous. The most common type of cancerous chest wall tumor in adults is chondrosarcoma.

Swollen lymph nodes

Lymph nodes can become swollen if you have an injury or are fighting an infection or other illness. This is because your body carries more white blood cells to this area to combat the problem. This can result in swelling and a lump near your collarbone.

The most common reason for a lump forming on the ribs is something known as a lipoma, which is a collection of fatty tissue. This type of lump can lie beneath the surface of the skin covering a rib. They are usually painless, freely mobile under your fingers and stay the same over time.

When should I be concerned about a lump? ›

See a GP if:

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.

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.

Although some breast cancers may first announce their presence by nipple secretions, changes in the nipple's appearance, nipple tenderness or dimpling or puckering of the skin, most malignant tumors appear first as SINGLE, HARD LUMPS OR THICKENINGS that are frequently, but not always, painless.

A moveable lump means that you can easily move it beneath the skin with your fingertips.

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 lumps are harmless and do not need any treatment. However, it is very important to see your GP if you have any concerns about the lump, or if the lump doesn't disappear within two weeks.

After you have marked the lump's location, call your primary care physician or gynecologist to schedule an appointment. Your physician will examine your breasts and the lump in question. She may schedule imaging to get a better look at the breast tissue, and if necessary, a biopsy.

Breast cancer has to divide 30 times before it can be felt. Up to the 28th cell division, neither you nor your doctor can detect it by hand. With most breast cancers, each division takes one to two months, so by the time you can feel a cancerous lump, the cancer has been in your body for two to five years.

There are often no obvious symptoms in the early stages of soft tissue sarcomas, although you may notice a soft, painless lump under your skin or deeper, that can't easily be moved around and gets bigger over time. You should speak to your GP if you have a worrying lump or any other troublesome symptoms.