The Facts
Fibrocystic breast disease, a condition causing breast pain, cysts, and noncancerous breast lumps, affects many women. It may also be called fibroglandular changes,fibrocystic changes, chronic cystic mastitis, mammary dysplasia, or benign breast disease. Fibrocystic breast disease is really not a disease, but rather a condition that commonly affects women between the ages of 25 and 50 years old. It may involve finding one lump or several in both breasts.
The vast majority (almost 85%) of breast lumps are not malignant (i.e., they are not cancerous). Nevertheless, some are, so if a woman notices a lump, she should have it examined by her doctor. Most women have some general lumpiness in their breasts, usually in the upper, outer area. This kind of lumpiness is quite common and does not mean that she has an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Beyond the occasional discomfort, if a breast lump is not malignant, it's not considered harmful. Although early studies showed a higher risk of breast cancer in women with lumpy breasts, recent studies have shown that most types of fibrocystic changes are not associated with higher cancer risk.