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Most breast lumps are not cancer. How a lump is assessed, what it usually turns out to be, and when to see a surgeon — at Apollo Hospital, Bhat, Gandhinagar–Ahmedabad.
Breast lumps are assessed in Ahmedabad by Dr Swapnil Sharma, MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology), Consultant Surgical Oncologist, at Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat, Gandhinagar. Finding a lump is unsettling, and the first thing worth saying is that the odds are in your favour: breast clinics see far more benign lumps than cancers.
Shah’s Gastro, Cancer & Robotic Surgery Centre. Breast cancer treatment is planned with medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology together; every case is discussed at the tumour board.
Dr Swapnil Sharma
MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology)
Consultant Surgical Oncologist, Apollo Bhat
Google rating 5.0, 25 reviews — Apollo, Bhat listing.
The common causes are all benign. Cancer is less common than any of them, and is treatable, particularly when it is found early.
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| Cause | What it is | Who it is common in |
|---|---|---|
| Fibroadenoma | A smooth, firm, mobile lump of normal breast tissue that has grown as a discrete lump. Harmless. | Teens to thirties |
| Cyst | A pocket of fluid. Can appear quickly and can be tender. | Thirties to the menopause |
| Cyclical thickening | Lumpy, ropy tissue that changes with the monthly cycle and settles after a period. | Any age before the menopause |
| Fat necrosis | A firm area where bruised fatty tissue has healed, often after a knock or an operation. | Any age |
| Infection or abscess | A hot, red, painful area, most often while breastfeeding. | Any age |
| Intraductal papilloma | A small growth inside a milk duct; often shows as discharge from one nipple. | Thirties onwards |
| Cancer | Less common than the above, and treatable, particularly when found early. | Rises with age |
A lump can feel very different from one woman to another, and two lumps of the same kind can feel different in the same woman. That is why feel alone is never relied on, by you or by a doctor.
If one of these is present, arrange a visit rather than waiting to see what happens. If none is, a lump that is still present after one monthly cycle is the sensible point to have it looked at. Waiting for months to see whether it goes is the one approach that is never advised.
The likely cause changes with age and circumstance, and so does the first test.
Younger women. In the teens, twenties and thirties a smooth, mobile lump is most often a fibroadenoma, and lumpiness that comes and goes with periods is usually cyclical change. Ultrasound is the first test; a mammogram is rarely needed.
Around and after the menopause. Cysts are common in the years before the menopause. After it, new lumps are less often benign, so a new lump at this age is seen promptly and a mammogram is part of the first assessment.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The breast changes a great deal, and blocked ducts, milk-filled cysts and infection are common. A lump that does not settle within a short time, or is not clearly an infection, is still examined and scanned; ultrasound is safe in pregnancy, and breastfeeding usually continues.
Men. Most breast swelling in men is gynaecomastia, a benign enlargement of breast tissue behind the nipple, often linked to medicines, weight or hormones. Breast cancer does occur in men, and a firm lump off-centre from the nipple is seen without delay.
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| Step | What it involves | What it tells us |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | Both breasts and both armpits, sitting and lying down. | Size, texture, whether the lump moves, and whether the skin or nipple has changed. |
| Ultrasound | A probe and gel over the lump; no radiation. | Tells a fluid-filled cyst from a solid lump straight away, and shows the edges of a solid lump. |
| Mammogram | A low-dose X-ray of each breast, added for older women. | Shows the whole breast, including calcium spots that cannot be felt. |
| Core needle biopsy | A few thin cores of tissue taken under local anaesthetic, guided by ultrasound. | The diagnosis under the microscope, and if it is cancer, its type and receptor status. |
The assessment is deliberately stepwise, and the first two steps are usually finished in one visit. If imaging is clearly benign, no sample is taken. If there is any question, a core biopsy gives an answer within a few days. The fuller account of the tests is on the breast cancer diagnosis page.
Most answers need little or no treatment. A cyst is drained, small fibroadenomas are watched, and an infection is treated with antibiotics.
Being familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel is more useful than a formal monthly ritual. Breasts are naturally lumpy, and that lumpiness changes through the cycle. What matters is noticing something that is new for you and that stays.
The easiest time to feel is a few days after a period ends, when the tissue is least swollen. After the menopause any time is fine. Look in a mirror with the arms down and then raised, and feel each breast and armpit with the flat of the fingers. Screening mammograms for women without symptoms are a separate matter, and are worth discussing at the visit.
A breast surgeon examines lumps every day, and can arrange the scan and, where needed, the biopsy in one place, so that you are not sent between clinics. If the lump is benign, you leave with an answer and a plan. If it is not, the surgeon who will plan the treatment has seen you from the start, and the tumour board review follows without delay.
Usually not. Most breast lumps turn out to be benign, at every age. It is still worth having one looked at, because the only reliable way to tell one kind from another is to examine it and image it.
A fibroadenoma, which is a smooth rubbery lump common in younger women. A cyst, which is a pocket of fluid. Ordinary lumpy thickening that changes with the monthly cycle. An area of infection or inflammation. These are all more common than cancer.
Pain is not a reliable guide in either direction. Benign lumps are often tender and cancers often cause no pain at all, but there are exceptions both ways. A lump is judged on examination and imaging, not on whether it hurts.
There is no need to rush to hospital the same day. A lump that is still there after one monthly cycle is worth having looked at without putting it off for months. If it is growing, or the skin or nipple has changed, arrange to be seen sooner.
An examination, then an ultrasound, and a mammogram as well for older women. If the picture is clearly benign, that is often the end of it. If there is any doubt, a needle sample settles it.
It is done under local anaesthetic and most women describe pressure rather than pain. It does not spread cancer. That worry is common, and it is not supported by the evidence.
A surgeon or a breast clinic where the examination, the scan and the needle test can be arranged together, so you are not sent between places. Call +91 63555 64601 to fix a time at Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat, Gandhinagar.
The other parts of the breast service each have their own page.
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| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Breast cancer surgery in Ahmedabad | The whole breast service in one place: the operations, the order of treatment, and recovery. |
| Breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) | Removing the cancer and keeping the breast, followed by radiotherapy. |
| Mastectomy: simple and modified radical | Removing the whole breast, with or without the armpit nodes. |
| Sentinel node biopsy and axillary surgery | How the armpit nodes are checked, and when more of them need to come out. |
| Oncoplastic surgery and reconstruction | Reshaping or rebuilding the breast, at the same sitting or later. |
| Robotic-assisted mastectomy: who it suits | A hidden-scar nipple-sparing mastectomy for a small group of selected women. |
Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat — consultation and surgery
Plot No. 1A, GIDC Bhat, Industrial Estate, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382428
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Phone: +91 63555 64601 · WhatsApp
Last updated: 3 October 2026. Reviewed by Dr Swapnil Sharma, MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology), Consultant Surgical Oncologist.
This page is for information. It is not a substitute for an examination and a personal opinion.
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