Not every lump is cancer

BEYOND AWARENESS: BREAST HEALTH LITERACY FOR EVERY WOMAN

- Hein Kaiser

October is breast cancer awareness month, and ongoing campaigns have, in particular, prompted many women to be tested and successfully detect the disease early.

But sometimes, a lump is not cancer. There are a host of rare and deceptive breast conditions that can look like cancer, but they're not.

"Imagine being told that you may have breast cancer, only to find out weeks later that it's not," said psychologist and medical doctor Dr Jonathan Redelinghuys.

"The anxiety, sleepless nights and emotional toll of waiting to find out can be really hectic. These lesser-known conditions can be emotionally cruel because of the fear they create," he said.

There is a disease called Granulomatous Mastitis. It's a big name. And it's a chronic condition, said Redelinghuys, it's the unpredictable inflammation of the breast tissue.

He said that it affects premenopausal women and that its cause remains unknown.

"The symptoms can be dramatic with pain, swelling and redness. Then, the symptoms could as easily disappear for long periods at a time before flaring up again."

Clinically, it can look a lot like inflammatory breast cancer. "It makes it a real challenge for both patients and doctors," he said.