Is a soft, pulpy growth on shoulder cancerous?

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thank you for using this platform. It sounds like your mother has a soft pulpy growth on her shoulder, which is painless at rest but causes heaviness on exertion. Although this information gives us some idea, it is challenging for me to guess what precisely this growth is. It will be nice if your mom could have it evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon. He or she will assess whether this growth is arising from the subcutaneous fat (example - lipoma), underlying muscle or bone or joint. If there is a suspicion of bony or joint involvement, an x-ray may need to be taken. There is a rare possibility that this swelling might not be a growth, but just a manifestation of trauma or infection. I will be happy to review any pictures, x-rays or other imaging that you may have already done. I hope this helps.