Q. Can a benign breast lump transform into cancer, or will a benign breast lump always remain benign?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
While it is rare, a benign breast lump can sometimes transform into cancer. This process is known as malignant transformation and can occur if the benign lump has epithelial changes, such as atypia or dysplasia. Malignant transformation of a benign breast lump usually involves an invasive carcinoma developing from the initial lesion over time.
To better understand what this means, let's consider how a benign breast lump is typically managed. If a woman goes for an imaging scan and finds out she has a suspicious mass in her breasts (which could be either malignant or benign), she may undergo surgery to remove it for further testing. Through biopsy results, doctors will determine if the mass is cancerous or not through histologic analysis of cells from the sample taken from the mass during surgery. A diagnosis of “benign” implies that no tissue growth seen on examination would indicate cancer; however, there may be some suspicion that atypical cells have begun to develop within that same area where initial findings saw only normal/benign cells before resection occurred. Furthermore, findings of "atypia" mean that although there are no signs of invasive tumor behavior outside the walls or surface layer of tissue surrounding these abnormally-shaped spindle-shaped mammary glandular cell clusters seen on microscopic inspection (typically associated with malignancy), these morphological features are worrisome enough to warrant periodic follow up examinations and screenings throughout her lifetime – especially since they could potentially lead to malignant transformation overtime if left untreated by additional measures such as radiation therapy combined with certain pharmaceutical treatments when needed - depending on individual patient condition and risk factors at hand should any new abnormalities arise upon monitoring over time accordingly... The good news here though? Through careful evaluation by skilled medical professionals following periodic screenings annually according to recommended guidelines set forth previously mentioned above (if needed) ...you can rest assured maintaining healthful living habits coupled with active self-awareness & preventative care measure steps outlined above – all while keeping your body active & healthy - you can feel empowered towards helping detect any potential issues before they have chance progress beyond scope necessary for successful treatment!