My brother has a painful nipple lump. Should he see a doctor?

Question

Hello doctor,

My younger brother is 33 years old, and he came to me last week saying he has a painful lump right under his left nipple that has been bothering him for almost three weeks now. He keeps dismissing it, saying it is probably nothing, but the pain has gotten worse, and the lump feels harder than before.

I read somewhere that lung cancer can sometimes show up with strange symptoms in unusual places, and now I am really scared. He has smoked about half a pack a day since college and works at a place where there is a lot of dust and chemicals around.

He had a chest X-ray done two years ago for a physical job, and everything was fine back then, but that was before all this started. He also mentioned that his nipple area looks slightly swollen, and there is a dull ache that sometimes goes into his armpit.

Should a 33-year-old male with a painful nipple lump see a doctor immediately, or can we wait a few more weeks to see if it goes away on its own? I do not want to panic him unnecessarily, but this does not feel right to me at all.

Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Well, I can understand your concerns regarding your brother’s condition, and I really appreciate that you took it seriously.

It is too early to reach any diagnosis at this stage, so please do not jump to conclusions.

Having a hard lump in the nipple associated with pain radiating to the axilla is more likely related to a breast condition rather than lung cancer. Lung cancer typically does not present as a breast lump; instead, symptoms such as weight loss, cough, and breathlessness are more commonly associated with it.

Possible causes include gynecomastia, breast infection or abscess, and benign breast tumors, which are more likely at his age than a malignant condition.

As you mentioned, your brother should see a doctor (either a physician or general surgeon) for proper evaluation. This will usually involve a triple assessment, including history and clinical examination, radiological evaluation (such as ultrasound of both breasts and the axillary region, or a mammogram if needed), and histopathological assessment (such as tru-cut biopsy or fine needle aspiration cytology) if any suspicious findings are noted on imaging.

My advice is to get him evaluated in order to reach a conclusive diagnosis.

I hope this answers your query. Please let me know if I can assist you any further.

Thank you.