Finding a new lump on your body can be concerning. Most lumps are harmless, but some may need medical attention. Here is a quick overview of when you should see a doctor about a lump:
- The lump is growing quickly
- It’s larger than 1 centimeter (about the size of a pea)
- It’s hard, feels like stone, or is fixed rather than movable
- It’s painless but growing
- It bleeds or oozes fluid
- It’s reddish or bluish in color
- It’s located in areas like the breast, testicle, neck, armpit, or groin
If a lump has any of those features, it’s best to make an appointment with your doctor for an evaluation. Not all lumps are cancerous, but it’s important to get checked out. Keep reading for more details on identifying worrisome lumps and when to see a doctor.
What is a Lump?
A lump is an abnormal mass or swelling that can form anywhere on the body. Lumps can vary greatly in size, shape, texture, and cause. They may be hard, soft, painful, painless, movable, or fixed in place. Some lumps are visible or can be felt under the surface of the skin, while others form deeper inside the body and aren’t noticeable from the outside.
Some common places lumps can develop include:
- Skin – may be warts, cysts, moles, lipomas (fatty deposits), etc.
- Breast tissue
- Testicles
- Neck – may be swollen lymph nodes or thyroid nodules
- Armpit – often swollen lymph nodes
- Groin – may be swollen lymph nodes or hernias
- Abdomen
- Bones – may be bone tumors
- Joints – may be ganglion cysts, bursitis, etc.
Lumps can have many different causes, ranging from benign growths to malignancies. Identifying what’s causing the lump usually requires an examination and diagnostic tests by a doctor.
Common Types of Lumps
Here is an overview of some frequent types of lumps found on or under the skin:
Lipomas
Lipomas are benign fatty tumors that form deposits of fat cells under the skin. They tend to grow slowly over months to years. Lipomas feel soft and rubbery, and they move easily with slight pressure. Common locations include the arms, legs, back, and neck. Lipomas don’t need treatment unless they become painful or bothersome.
Cysts
Cysts are fluid-filled lumps that can form anywhere on the body. Common types of cysts include:
- Sebaceous cyst – fills with sebum from oil glands, often on the face, neck, or trunk
- Epidermoid cyst – fills with keratin, often on the face, neck, or trunk
- Ganglion cyst – fills with joint fluid, usually on the wrists or hands
- Pilar cyst – fills with keratin, often on the scalp
- Baker’s cyst – fills with joint fluid, usually behind the knee
Cysts are generally painless, slow-growing, and movable under the skin. Treatment usually isn’t needed unless they rupture, become inflamed, or cause discomfort.
Warts
Warts are small, rough benign growths caused by viral infection of the skin. Common types include:
- Common warts – rough, gray growths on hands and knees
- Plantar warts – hard, grainy growths on the soles of feet
- Genital warts – soft, skin-colored growths in the genital region
- Flat warts – smooth, flesh-colored spots usually on the face or legs
Warts aren’t cancerous. They can be removed for cosmetic reasons or discomfort, but often go away on their own.
Moles
Moles, also called nevi, are pigmented skin growths. Many adults have between 10-40 normal moles. Moles are usually tan, brown, or flesh-colored spots with distinct borders. They can become raised as they develop over time. Irregular, changing, or symptomatic moles may require biopsy to check for melanoma skin cancer.
Skin tags
Skin tags are soft, skin-colored flaps of tissue that hang off the skin by a connecting stalk. They often form in skin folds of the neck, armpits, and groin. Skin tags are harmless growths that don’t need treatment unless they become irritated.
Abscesses
Abscesses are pus-filled lumps formed by localized infection. Signs include pain, swelling, redness, and warmth in the area. Abscesses commonly develop on the skin, in the armpits or groin, or around a tooth. Treatment involves draining the pus and antibiotics. Leaving an abscess untreated can lead to a widespread infection.
Hernias
Hernias involve a bulge or protrusion of tissue through a weakened spot in the surrounding muscle or connective tissue. Common types include:
- Inguinal hernia – inner groin/upper thigh, most common in men
- Femoral hernia – outer groin/thigh, more common in women
- Umbilical hernia – belly button
- Hiatal hernia – upper stomach protrudes through the diaphragm
Hernias usually appear as painless soft lumps but can cause discomfort or problems. Surgery is often needed to repair the weakened muscular wall and prevent complications.
Lipomas
Lipomas are benign fatty tumors that form deposits of fat cells under the skin. They tend to grow slowly over months to years. Lipomas feel soft and rubbery, and they move easily with slight pressure. Common locations include the arms, legs, back, and neck. Lipomas don’t need treatment unless they become painful or bothersome.
Ganglion Cysts
Ganglion cysts are fluid-filled lumps that develop near joints and tendons, often on the wrists, hands, or feet. They grow out from the joint capsule or tendon sheath. Ganglion cysts may disappear on their own. Drainage or surgical removal are options if they cause pain, tingling, or muscle weakness.
When to See a Doctor
In most cases, there is no need to panic about a lump. However, it’s important to make an appointment with your doctor for evaluation of any new, persistent, growing, or unusual lumps.
Red flag symptoms that indicate a lump should be examined right away include:
- It’s growing quickly over days or weeks
- The lump is larger than 1 centimeter (about the size of a pea)
- It feels hard, like stone, and fixed rather than movable
- It’s completely painless but increasing in size
- It bleeds, oozes fluid, or crusts
- The color is red, brown, blue, or black
- It’s located in an area like the breast, testicle, neck, armpit, or groin
- You have other concerning symptoms like unexplained weight loss
Seek prompt medical evaluation if a lump has any of those features. Make an appointment with your primary care physician for evaluation. Based on the exam, your doctor may refer you to a specialist like a dermatologist, surgeon, or oncologist for further testing and treatment.
Doctors Who Evaluate Lumps
Here are some of the medical specialists who diagnose and treat various types of lumps:
- Primary care physician – Your primary doctor performs an initial evaluation of any new lump.
- Dermatologist – A skin specialist who diagnoses and treats many benign skin growths like cysts, lipomas, and warts.
- Surgeon – A general surgeon can biopsy and remove various superficial lumps and deeper masses.
- Oncologist – A cancer specialist who performs biopsies and treats cancerous tumors.
- Orthopedic surgeon – Treats bone and joint-related lumps like ganglion cysts.
- Gastroenterologist – Evaluates and treats lumps in the digestive system.
- OB/GYN – Specializes in breast lumps and pelvic masses in women.
- Urologist – Treats testicular lumps in men.
Diagnosing Lumps
Doctors use a combination of methods to evaluate an abnormal lump, determine its cause, and guide treatment. Steps include:
Medical History
Your doctor will ask about your medical history, risk factors, family history of cancer, symptoms, and any injuries, infections, or irritation in the area of the lump.
Physical Exam
Your physician will thoroughly inspect and palpate the lump, noting its size, shape, texture, mobility, and relationship to surrounding tissues. Other areas will be examined to look for swollen nodes or additional lumps.
Imaging Tests
Tests like x-rays, CT scans, MRI, mammograms, and ultrasounds create pictures of the inside of the body to evaluate the size, location, and internal characteristics of a lump.
Biopsy
A biopsy involves removing a small sample of cells from the lump for analysis under a microscope. This allows doctors to make a definitive diagnosis. There are different biopsy methods depending on the location and features of the lump.
Blood Tests
Blood tests check for substances in the blood that may indicate an inflammatory or cancerous condition. Certain blood tests also analyze the DNA or other molecular characteristics of cancer cells.
In some cases, your doctor can identify benign lumps by appearance and exam alone. Other lumps require imaging and biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and rule out cancer. Treatment depends on the specific cause.
Treating Lumps
Treatment options for lumps depend on the underlying cause and diagnosis:
Watchful Waiting
Harmless or small lumps often just require monitoring at follow-up exams to ensure they don’t change or grow. No immediate treatment is needed.
Medication
Drugs like antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, or steroids may help reduce some types of lumps.
Drainage
Needle aspiration can drain benign fluid-filled cysts to help shrink them. Abscesses may also need surgical drainage of pus.
Removal
Surgical procedures can remove various benign growths on the skin and inside the body. Lymph nodes, dental cysts, and fibroids are examples.
Cancer Treatment
This may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, or other cancer treatments to destroy malignant tumors.
Discuss your options with your doctor to determine the best way to manage and treat your lump.
When to Seek Follow-up Care
It’s important to monitor changes in any lump at follow-up visits with your doctor. Return promptly if you notice:
- The lump is increasing in size
- It feels harder, develops a crust, or bleeds
- It becomes painful or tender
- Your skin over the lump appears red, warm, or swollen
- You develop a fever, chills, or other signs of infection
- You feel generally unwell, fatigued, or lose your appetite
Routine follow-up care is also a key part of cancer treatment to detect any recurrence and manage long-term side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. Staying on top of appointments is important after a cancer diagnosis.
Let your doctor know right away if you experience any unusual changes or new symptoms after lump treatment. Prompt reporting of signs like bleeding, swelling, or pain can help identify complications or progression of disease.
Preventing Lumps
While some lumps are impossible to prevent, the following healthy lifestyle measures may help lower your risks:
- Get cancer screenings. Regular screening tests can detect cancers like breast, colon, and skin cancer in early treatable stages before noticeable lumps occur.
- Perform self-exams. Monthly self-exams help identify any new testicular or breast lumps early.
- Limit alcohol. Heavy alcohol use is linked to fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
- Manage diabetes. Poorly controlled blood sugar can lead to carcinogenic lump formations.
- Quit tobacco. Smoking raises lung cancer risks along with other oral, throat, and respiratory tumors.
- Eat healthy. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber may help protect against some cancers.
- Exercise regularly. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy body weight and lowers risks of some cancers.
- Avoid STDs. Sexually transmitted diseases like HPV and HIV increase cancer risks.
- Get HPV vaccination. The HPV vaccine protects against cervical, oral, and other cancers caused by the virus.
While lifestyle measures can reduce risks, they don’t guarantee prevention. Still, leading a generally healthy lifestyle provides the best protection against development of abnormal lumps.
When to Seek a Second Opinion
It may be a good idea to seek a second opinion if:
- Your diagnosis is unclear or your doctor is uncertain what’s causing the lump.
- Recommended treatment options don’t seem to match your condition.
- Your lump doesn’t respond as expected to initial treatment.
- Your doctor doesn’t take steps to definitively diagnose the lump through biopsy.
- You aren’t comfortable with the diagnosis or treatment plan.
- Your health insurance company requests a second opinion before approving treatment.
Getting a second opinion from another qualified physician can provide reassurance or new insight into your diagnosis and treatment options. A different specialist may suggest alternative therapies not initially considered.
Seeking multiple opinions is especially prudent when dealing with rare lumps or cancers. For serious diagnoses like malignancy, it often helps to have your case reviewed at a major cancer center with specialized expertise.
Don’t hesitate to speak up and request further evaluation if any doubts linger after your initial lump diagnosis. A second opinion is a reasonable request your doctors will understand.
Conclusion
Finding a new lump can be scary, but try not to panic. In most cases, lumps are harmless fatty tumors, cysts, or skin growths that don’t need treatment. However, it’s still wise to point out any new lumps to your doctor for evaluation, especially if they are increasing in size, rock hard, stuck in place, or just feel unusual.
See your physician promptly for assessment of fast-growing lumps or those with other red flag features like bleeding, color changes, or lack of pain. These may require biopsy to assess for underlying infection or cancer. With early evaluation and proper treatment, the vast majority of lumps can be managed successfully. Stay vigilant with self-checks and follow-up care if you do discover an abnormal mass.