Lump Above the Breast and Below the Collar Bone

This area includes the upper edge of the breast, the chest wall, skin, muscle, and lymph nodes near the collar bone. Feeling a lump there does not by itself identify its cause.

A tender lump that changes with movement or follows an injury may arise from the chest wall or muscle. A skin cyst or an inflamed hair follicle can feel close to the surface. A lymph node may become enlarged while the body responds to an infection in the arm, chest, or nearby skin.

Breast cancer can present with a lump in breast tissue or with an enlarged lymph node near the collar bone, although many lumps have non-cancerous explanations. A clinician may need to feel the area and compare both sides before deciding whether imaging or other tests are useful.

Arrange an appointment with a doctor or breast clinic for a new lump that does not settle, especially if you cannot tell whether it is in the skin, breast, or deeper tissue. Note when you first felt it, whether it changes with your menstrual cycle, and whether it has altered in size or tenderness.

Avoid repeatedly pressing the area, which can increase soreness and make changes harder to judge. Do not try to drain a lump yourself. At an assessment, the clinician may examine the breast, armpit, and neck and may recommend an ultrasound or other evaluation based on the findings.

Seek prompt medical care for a lump that is rapidly enlarging, hard and fixed, or associated with redness, warmth, marked swelling, fever, or feeling acutely unwell. Contact a clinician soon if there is nipple discharge that is bloody, new skin dimpling, a change in breast shape, or swelling of the arm.

Breathing difficulty, severe chest pain, fainting, or sudden swelling of the face or neck needs urgent emergency attention rather than a routine appointment.

Ask: Could this be in the breast, a lymph node, the skin, or the chest wall? What examination or scan is appropriate? Which changes should lead me to return sooner?