What is the difference between benign and malignant lumps/tumors?
Breast lumps or tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A benign tumor can be removed and in most cases will not come back. A malignant tumor, on the other hand, is a collection of cells which grow and can affect nearby tissues or can break away and travel to distant parts of the body. It is important to note that most breast lumps or tumors are not cancerous. What causes breast cancer? Only five to ten percent of breast cancers are hereditary; this is, they are caused by a faulty gene that has been passed down from generation to generation. The vast majority of breast cancers are caused by something else – we are still not positive on a specific cause for the disease. There are many risk factors linked to breast cancer, some that are controllable and some that are not. We ask that you think critically about the ones you can control and do not stress about the ones you cannot. Visit the risk factors page to read more. Although you may never be faced with breast c
