Fibroadenomas are solid tumors that occur in the breast. They’re not cancerous.
This type of tumor occurs frequently in women during their reproductive years. According to the Mayo Clinic, a breast fibroadenoma is a firm, smooth lump with a well-defined shape. It can be rubbery or hard. However, when touched, it moves easily under the skin and is typically painless.
Fibroadenomas, which are one of the most common breast lumps found in women prior to menopause, are usually less than 1 centimeter to several centimeters large. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, they can get larger. A tumor that reaches 5 centimeters or larger is classed as a giant fibroadenoma.
The lump itself is typically round, with distinct borders. It might feel like a marble inside breast tissue when you press on it. The tumor is made up of both glandular and connective breast tissue.
Although the cause of breast fibroadenomas remains unknown, researchers speculate that it’s linked to reproductive hormones. The tumors grow in size with estrogen therapy as well as during pregnancy but often shrink after menopause.
The risk of developing breast cancer has been linked with one type of fibroadenoma.
Simple fibroadenomas represent most of the tumors diagnosed. They have distinct borders and cells that look uniform. They represent no increase of a risk of breast cancer, especially in patients with no family history of the malignancy.
Complex fibroadenomas contain cysts, enlarged breast lobules or pieces of opaque calcifications. While they don’t morph into breast cancer, they can raise the risk of developing it later by a factor of two or three. The Mayo Clinic reports that their overall risk remains low, however.
Once your physician has noted or confirmed a breast lump, the following procedures aid in making a diagnosis:
1. Clinical breast exam. The doctor examines the lump and looks for any other problems areas in the breasts. If the lump was discovered by the patient, the physician will ask questions regarding when it was noticed and any changes in it since that date.
2. Mammography. This imaging technique identifies a fibroadenoma as a small growth distinct from surrounding tissue in the breast.
3. Breast ultrasound. For patients younger than 30, the doctor might order a breast ultrasound, not a mammogram. This is because the high density of breast tissue in younger women that makes it harder for radiologists to correctly interpret mammograms.
4. Fine-needle aspiration. The doctor seeks to remove the contents of the lump by inserting a thin needed into the growth. If no fluid emerges, the lump is solid and probably a fibroadenoma. The physician might also opt to send some cells for further analysis.
5. Core needle biopsy. This procedure can rule out breast cancer and definitively confirm the presence of a fibroadenoma. The doctor utilizes a large need to extract several tissue samples from the lump to send to the lab for study.
Fibroadenomas of the breast are treated both with and without surgery. The surgical procedure is a lumpectomy or excisional biopsy under a local or general anesthesia and also removes some tissue surrounding the lump. This tissue is forwarded for pathological analysis. If any of your initial procedures proved abnormal or if you are concerned about leaving the lump in place, your doctor might recommend surgery to remove it.
When diagnostic procedures confirm that the lump in the breast is a fibroadenoma and not cancer, the doctor might recommend that surgery is unnecessary. Since surgery can distort the shape and texture of the breast as well as leave scar tissue that complicates future exams, younger women might opt to forego the procedure. There is also a chance in a women 40 or older that the fibroadenoma might stop growing or even shrink with time.
