Causes of a lump on your chest can include a cyst, abscess, lipoma, or benign tumor. A doctor can diagnose the lump with imaging tests, and if they find anything, they can recommend treatment.

When you feel a lump somewhere on your chest, your thoughts might immediately turn to cancer — particularly breast cancer. But there are many things other than cancer that can cause a chest lump.

For example, it could be a cyst or an abscess. And even if it does turn out to be a tumor, there’s a good chance it’s benign (harmless).

The chest includes the breasts and skin. It also contains muscle, connective tissue, and membranes, as well as lymph nodes, arteries, and veins.

In this article, we look at some of the causes of chest lumps and what to expect when you see a doctor.

Even benign chest lumps can cause problems if they get too big, so it’s important to get it looked at. The following are some types of lumps that might develop in the chest:

Cyst

A cyst is a sac filled with fluid or other material.

One of the most common causes is fibrosis, which involves benign (harmless) changes in the texture of your breast tissue. You can also get a breast cyst from a galactocele (blocked milk duct).

Breast cysts may get bigger and more tender just before your period. When they develop just under the skin, they feel soft and smooth. When they develop deeper down, they can feel hard.

Breast cysts are usually painless unless they grow particularly large. They’re also rarely cancerous.

Fibroadenoma

Fibroadenomas are solid, painless lumps in your breast tissue. They are benign and usually happen in females between ages 14 and 35 years. Because they’re linked to hormones, they typically shrink after menopause.

These lumps are firm and smooth and move freely when you touch them.

Lipoma

A lipoma is a clump of fatty tissue just underneath the skin. Lipomas are slow-growing and painless unless they press on a nerve or grow around blood vessels. They feel rubbery and move when you push on them.

Lipomas are usually harmless and almost always benign. However, there’s a very rare type of cancer called liposarcoma that grows in fatty tissues and can appear to be a deep lipoma.

Fat necrosis

Fat necrosis happens when fatty breast tissue is damaged from an injury to the breast or following lumpectomy or radiation treatment. This noncancerous lump is painless, round, and firm.

Abscess

Sometimes a breast lump turns out to be an abscess. That’s a buildup of pus that becomes inflamed.

They can cause symptoms like soreness, fatigue, and fever. When they’re in the breast tissue, they can feel warm and tender to the touch.

Hematoma

A hematoma is a blood-filled mass caused by a surgical procedure or injury to the breast. It should heal on its own.

Sclerosing adenosis

This happens when there’s an overgrowth of tissues in breast lobules. It can cause lumps that look like calcifications on a mammogram.

Nodular fasciitis

Nodular fasciitis is a type of benign tumor that can occur anywhere in the body, including the chest wall, but rarely in the breasts.

The lump is fast-growing, feels firm, and might have irregular margins. It may cause some tenderness.

Injury to the chest

Sometimes a superficial lump can form shortly after a chest injury. It may be painful, but pain and swelling are likely to improve when you apply ice.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis

Bone tuberculosis can cause lumps in the chest wall, ribs, spinal column, and sternum. Other symptoms include tenderness, pain, and weight loss.

While rare, this can be a serious condition. If you think you may have it, it’s a good idea to contact a doctor.

Breast cancer

A lump in the breast can be a sign of breast cancer. Cancerous lumps are usually hard and have irregular edges, but lumps due to breast cancer can also be soft or round. They may or may not be painful.

Other signs of breast cancer include:

In addition to those listed above, there are some other reasons you can develop a lump in the middle of your chest.

Broken sternum

A broken sternum is usually the result of blunt force trauma like a car accident, sports injury, or fall from a height. You might also have swelling, bruising, or a hematoma (severe bruise).

Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that can also affect organs and lymph nodes. It’s not common, but it can sometimes affect bones, including the ribs, spine, and sternum.

Symptoms may include:

  • chest pain
  • swelling
  • fever
  • swollen lymph nodes
  • night sweats
  • weight loss

Xiphoid syndrome

Xiphoid syndrome is a rare condition that causes inflammation of the lower tip of the sternum, which is called the xiphoid process.

In addition to the lump, it can cause pain in the sternum, chest, and back. It can be caused by blunt trauma or repetitive injury.

Epigastric hernia

An epigastric hernia occurs just below the sternum and above the navel, usually in children. It can be present at birth or can develop later due to weak or strained abdominal muscles.

Other symptoms include swelling, discomfort, or pain that worsens during a sneeze or cough.

Benign lumps are usually soft and movable, and cancerous lumps tend to be hard and immovable.

If you have a new lump on your chest, it’s a good idea to see a doctor, especially if accompanied by:

  • swelling
  • chest pain
  • muscle atrophy
  • chest expansion
  • impaired movement

You should also see a doctor if you have a personal or family history of cancer or have experienced trauma to the chest.

A doctor will ask you questions about how long you’ve had the lump, how fast it’s growing, and any other symptoms.

In some cases, a physical examination will be enough to diagnose the lump. This may be the case with cysts, fibroadenoma, and lipoma. However, some require imaging tests like mammograms and ultrasounds.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests can help provide a detailed view of the chest to determine the lump’s exact location and size. They can also help determine if the lump is growing too close to blood vessels, bones, or internal organs.

Your doctor may order one or more of the following tests:

Biopsy

The only way to rule out or confirm cancer is with a biopsy. A biopsy involves taking a small tissue sample for examination under a microscope.

Treatment for chest lumps depends on their cause. Depending on whether or not your doctor thinks a lump may be something to worry about, they may recommend a more conservative approach or encourage intervention to remove the lump.

Watch and wait

Sometimes a doctor may want to watch and monitor the lump to see if it goes away on its own before choosing a treatment. That may be the case with lipomas and some cysts.

Medication

Lumps due to chest injury can be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers and anti-inflammatories.

Abscesses, extrapulmonary tuberculosis, and other infectious causes may be treated with antibiotics or other medications.

Surgery

Noncancerous tumors may need to be surgically removed if they interfere with blood vessels, muscles, bones, or major organs.

Some lumps like fat necrosis and sclerosing adenosis are usually surgically removed. Because nodular fasciitis is difficult to differentiate from cancer, these lumps should also be removed. Most fibroadenomas don’t require treatment.

Cancerous lumps are usually removed with surgery. In some cases, a chest tumor can be secondary, meaning it spread to the chest from another part of the body. When that’s the case, surgical options depend on the extent of the disease.

Cancer treatments

In addition to surgery, other treatments for cancer may include:

Chest lumps can be caused by a variety of factors. Most aren’t cancerous, and many are easily treatable.

If you find a lump and don’t know what’s caused it, ask a doctor if you should have it checked out. Whatever the cause, early diagnosis and treatment generally result in more options and a better outcome.