Sixty patients with mastalgia, either idiopathic or secondary to dysplastic lesions, were treated with oral nimesulide (100mg tablets twice daily) for 15 days. Breast tension and pain, assessed at baseline and on completion of the treatment period, improved or resolved with therapy. Indeed, breast pain (which most likely manifests as a consequence of periductal inflammation) was most noticeably reduced. The drug was well tolerated in nearly all patients. These results support the usefulness of nimesulide and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of mastalgia.