Can breast cancer have smooth edges?
A breast cancer tumor on a mammogram is often irregular. The edges don’t look smooth. A spiculated breast mass, with spikes that extend out from the main mass, is a strong signal that suggests cancer.
Does breast cancer feel smooth?
They feel more like rocks than grapes. “A tumor won’t be smooth like a cyst. It might be tiny – they’re often felt by a doctor during an exam when they are as small as a half-inch in diameter,” said Tricia Merrigan, MD, breast surgeon with Avera Medical Group Comprehensive Breast Care.
Are breast cancer lumps smooth and round?
Breast cancer lumps tend to be immoveable. They’re usually hard, have irregular edges, and are painless. But that’s not always the case. Some breast cancer lumps are painful and they can sometimes be soft, round, or moveable.
Can breast cancer feel like a ridge?
Sometimes what feels like a lump is actually just breast tissue. A ridge of tissue or a thicker area of the breast can mimic the feel of a lump, says Dr. Keating. This can ring especially true for women who do not perform regular breast self-exams and might not be familiar with what their breasts tend to feel like.
Can a benign breast tumor have irregular borders?
The most significant features that indicate whether a mass is benign or malignant are its shape and margins (Figure 36f-4). The shape can be round, oval, lobular, or irregular. Circumscribed oval and round masses are usually benign. An irregular shape suggests a greater likelihood of malignancy.
What does normal breast tissue feel like?
Normal breast tissue often feels nodular (lumpy) and varies in consistency from woman to woman. Even within each individual woman, the texture of breast tissue varies at different times in her menstrual cycle, and from time to time during her life.
What shape are breast cancer lumps?
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.
Does breast tissue have ridges?
Many women have a normal thickening or ridge of firm tissue under the lower curve of the breast, at its attachment to the chest wall; also the large milk ducts can be felt as a ring of bumps.
Can breast tissue feel like a ridge?
The breast tissue may feel dense with an irregular area of thicker tissue having a lumpy or ridge-like surface. You might also feel tiny bead-like masses scattered throughout the breasts.
Can breast cysts have irregular borders?
Simple cysts are always benign. Complex cysts have irregular or scalloped borders, thick walls, and some evidence of solid areas and/or debris in the fluid.
What is a ridge in breast tissue?
Often there’s a ridge of fat at the bottom of the breast—the inframammary ridge. This ridge is perfectly normal, and is the result of the fact that we walk upright and our breasts fold over themselves. The areola is the darker area of the breast surrounding the nipple.