Giant Breast Masses: Part I—Benign Etiologies

Although disparate in cause, giant breast masses can sometimes prove challenging to diagnose, particularly if they present similarly, for example, as painless masses. Therefore, narrowing the differential diagnosis based on demographics, clinical history, and imaging characteristics can help in choosing the most appropriate management course. Arbitrarily defined as lesions of 5 cm or greater, giant breast masses tend to occur in populations that are not routinely screened or for masses that grow very rapidly. These include both benign and malignant etiologies, which can arise from all of the tissue types found in the breast. In two parts, we review how benign and malignant giant breast masses present. Reviewed here are benign etiologies including lipomas, abscesses, hematomas, cysts, and giant fibroadenomas.