Learn About Fibroadenoma
Fibroadenoma of the breast is a benign tumor. Benign tumor means it is not a cancer.
Breast lump - fibroadenoma; Breast lump - noncancerous; Breast lump - benign
The cause of fibroadenomas is not known. They may be related to hormones. Girls who are going through puberty and women who are pregnant are most often affected. Fibroadenomas are found much less often in older women who have gone through menopause.
Fibroadenoma is the most common benign tumor of the breast. It is the most common breast tumor in women under age 30.
A fibroadenoma is made up of breast gland tissue and tissue that helps support the breast gland tissue.
Fibroadenomas are usually single lumps. Some women have several lumps that may affect both breasts.
The lumps may be any of the following:
- Easily moveable under the skin
- Firm
- Painless
- Rubbery
The lumps have smooth, well-defined borders. They may grow in size, especially during pregnancy. Fibroadenomas often get smaller after menopause (if a woman is not taking hormone therapy).
If a needle biopsy shows that the lump is a fibroadenoma, the lump may be left in place or removed.
You and your health care provider can discuss whether or not to remove the lump. Reasons to have it removed include:
- Results of needle biopsy are not definitive
- Pain or other symptom
- Concern about cancer
- The lump gets larger over time
If the lump is not removed, your provider will watch to see if it changes or grows. This may be done using:
- Mammogram
- Physical examination
- Ultrasound
Sometimes, the lump is destroyed without removing it:
- Cryoablation destroys the lump by freezing it. A probe is inserted through the skin, and ultrasound helps the provider guide it to the lump. Gas is used to freeze and destroy the lump.
- Radiofrequency ablation destroys the lump using high-frequency energy. The provider uses ultrasound to help focus the energy beam on the lump. These waves heat the lump and destroy it without affecting nearby tissues.
Bin Teh practices in Singapore, Singapore. Teh and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Fibroadenoma. His top areas of expertise are Fibroadenoma, Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), Angiosarcoma, Nephrectomy, and Liver Transplant.
Puay Tan practices in Kent Ridge, Singapore. Tan and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Fibroadenoma. Their top areas of expertise are Fibroadenoma, Breast Cancer, Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Mastectomy, and Tissue Biopsy.
Linda Feeley practices in Dublin, Ireland. Feeley and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Fibroadenoma. Her top areas of expertise are Fibroadenoma, Breast Cancer, Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Thyroidectomy.
If the lump is left in place and watched carefully, it may need to be removed at a later time if it changes or grows.
In very rare cases, the lump is cancer and will need further treatment.
Contact your provider if you notice:
- Any new breast lumps
- A breast lump that your provider has checked before that grows or changes
- Bruising on your breast for no reason
- An area of redness of the skin of your breast
- Breast skin that looks like an orange peel with thickening of the skin or enlargement of the pores
- Dimpling or pulling in of the breast skin
- New inversion of the nipple (nipple going inward instead of outward)
- Nipple discharge that is clear (like water) or bloody
Summary: This study evaluates the efficacy and the safety of the HIFU for the treatment of breast fibroadenoma.
Summary: The objective of this study is to demonstrate the initial clinical feasibility of using Harmonic Motion Imaging (HMI) for Focused Ultrasound Surgery (FUS) guidance and monitoring in patients with benign and stage 1 non-metastatic breast cancers. The investigators hypothesize that changes in HMI parameters will inform progression of FUS ablation.
Published Date: April 01, 2023
Published By: Debra G. Wechter, MD, FACS, General Surgery Practice Specializing in Breast Cancer, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Internal review and update on 02/04/2024 by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
American College of Radiology website. ACR Appropriateness Criteria palpable breast masses. acsearch.acr.org/docs/69495/Narrative/. Updated 2022. Accessed February 4, 2024.
Klimberg VS, Hunt KK. Diseases of the breast. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 35.
Vora H, Oseni TO. Breast. In: Cameron JL, Cameron AM, eds. Current Surgical Therapy. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 12.