What Does a Breast Lump Feel Like?

Written by: Rob Levy
Medically Reviewed By: Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD

Key Takeaway: Cancerous lumps tend to be irregular in shape and may feel firm or solid. Typically, a breast cancer lump doesn’t hurt, but in some cases, a painful lump turns out to be cancer. It is impossible to diagnose a breast lump just by touch, so it is important for you to speak with your doctor if you notice changes to your breasts.

Finding a lump in your breast can be frightening — but although breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women, most breast lumps are not cancer. In fact, more than 80 percent of them end up being benign. In a small percentage of women, a painful breast lump turns out to be cancer.

Experts at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber say it is important for women to speak with their doctor if they notice changes to their breasts.

What does a breast lump or cancerous lump feel like?

In general, cancerous breast lumps tend to be more irregular in shape. They may also feel firm or solid, and might be fixed to the tissue in the breast. They are also often painless. However, in a small percentage of women, a painful breast lump turns out to be cancer.

What does a breast lump feel like to the touch?

Breast cancer lumps can vary in size. Typically, a lump has to be about one centimeter (about the size of a large lima bean) before a person can feel it; however, it depends on where the lump arises in the breast, how big the breast is, and how deep the lesion is.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women, but most breast lumps are not cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women, but most breast lumps are not cancer.

Does breast cancer hurt?

Most breast cancers don’t cause pain. Breast pain, or mastalgia, is more likely related a person’s menstrual cycle if they have one. There are other benign conditions that can cause breast pain, such as cysts, fibroadenomas, or blocked milk ducts.

Breast cancer in early stages usually isn’t painful. Breast cancer typically doesn’t hurt until/if it becomes advanced. The majority of tumors won’t begin causing pain until they reach two centimeters in size, and even then, some may not cause pain.

Inflammatory breast cancer, a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer, can cause pain and present along with redness, a rash, and severe itching.

Remember, a painful lump doesn’t necessarily rule out cancer. If breast pain is severe or persists, you should consult your physician. They will be able to determine if it is being caused by cancer or another condition.

Learn more: Take Dana-Farber’s AssessYourRisk Quiz to learn more about your personal risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

What kind of breast pain can indicate breast cancer?

Persistent or severe pain may be a sign of breast cancer. If breast pain is still present after two menstrual periods, for example, you should consult with a physician.

Specific and persistent pain in one breast may also be cause to visit the doctor. Benign pain typically affects both sides.

What does a tumor feel like under the skin?

Lumps, tumors, and all sorts of things one can feel in the breast can feel surprisingly similar: firm, as opposed to the normal, more spongy tissue of the breast. They are often irregularly shaped as opposed to a sphere or ball shape. Lumps are also usually mobile within the breast and can be moved around within the breast.

However, it’s important to note that this can vary from person to person. Ultimately, anytime you feel something that’s different from what your normal breast tissue feels like, or if you notice anything that generally feels unusual, you should speak to her medical team about that.

Where are breast cancer lumps usually found?

Lumps can appear anywhere within the breast. The location does not determine whether or not it is a breast cancer.

Do breast cancer lumps move?

Most lumps will be movable within the breast tissue on examination, but breast lumps typically do not “move” around the breast. However, sometimes a breast lump will be fixed, or stuck, to the chest wall.

What if I only feel a lump when I’m sitting?

Sometimes if the breast is positioned differently, you’ll feel different things. In general, regardless of how you are positioned, when you feel an abnormality in the breast — if it feels different or new — you should reach out to the medical team for an evaluation.

What if the lump feels like a ridge? What if I have a pea-sized lump in my breast that doesn’t move?

You should have a familiarity with your body and what the breast normally feels like, including its normal shape, appearance, and texture. Generally, women are advised to analyze their breasts in the shower with soapy fingers to get a nice feel of the normal tissues. If you do that and have some familiarity with your normal breast tissue, and then find something different, you should reach out to your medical team.

What does a hard lump in the breast mean?

Hard lumps in the breast can be either benign or malignant. The feel of the lump itself is rarely enough to determine if the lump is a cancerous one or not.

[Learn more about symptoms of breast cancer.]

Cancer tumors versus cysts and fibroadenomas

Cysts, which are fluid-filled lumps, are common in the breast and are benign. They form when fluid builds up inside breast glands and tend to be smooth or round. Fibroadenomas, which are benign tumors made up of glandular and connective breast tissue, are usually smooth and firm or rubbery to the touch. Both of these conditions tend to affect younger women; fibroadenomas are most common in women in their 20s and 30s, and cysts are most common in women under 40.

Despite these common descriptions, it is impossible to tell by touch whether a lump is cancer.

Always seek medical attention

“The key point is that anybody should seek medical attention for any concerning lumps in their breasts,” says Harold Burstein, MD, PhD, a breast oncologist with the Susan F. Smith Center.

Simple imaging techniques, such as a mammogram or breast ultrasound, can usually provide reassurance that the breast lump is benign. If necessary, a breast MRI or biopsy can be used to evaluate whether the lump is cancerous.

About the Medical Reviewer

Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD

Dr. Burstein graduated from Harvard College before earning his MD at Harvard Medical School. He also received a PhD in cellular immunology and a master's degree in the history of science from Harvard. He trained in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital before his oncology fellowship at DFCI. In 1999, he joined the staff of DFCI and Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he is a clinician and clinical investigator in the Breast Oncology Center.  Dr. Burstein is an internationally renowned breast cancer expert, who has led and participated in multiple clinical trials, and developed national and international breast cancer treatment guidelines.  Recognized as one of the leading breast oncologists, he is a perennial "Top Doctor" in the US for breast cancer care.  He teaches students, residents and fellows at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber.

28 thoughts on “What Does a Breast Lump Feel Like?”

  1. I had aggressive malignant grade iii breast cancer. Is it mormal to have a hard lump under my breast after 20 months of removal of half d breast pls?

    • Hi Frances,

      Thank you for reading and sharing. Unfortunately we cannot provide personalized medical advice on this blog. If you have any concerns about your health, please contact your medical team.

      All the best,
      DFCI

Comments are closed.