Breast Cancer Symptoms: An Introduction
Not everyone with
breast cancer will have early symptoms of the disease. That is why
breast cancer screening is so important. Screening for the disease before breast cancer symptoms appear can help doctors find and treat the cancer early. Also,
breast cancer treatment is more likely to be effective when cancer is detected early.
Common Breast Cancer Symptoms
Common breast cancer symptoms include:
- A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
- A change in how the breast or nipple feels
- Nipple tenderness
- A change in how the breast or nipple looks
- A change in the size or shape of the breast
- A nipple turned inward into the breast
- Nipple discharge (fluid).
Early breast cancer symptoms do not usually do not include pain.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms
In a rare type of breast cancer known as
inflammatory breast cancer, the lymph vessels around the breast become blocked. Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms include a red, swollen, and warm breast. The skin of the breast may also appear pink, purple, or bruised, and it may have ridges or appear pitted, like the skin of an orange (often referred to as peau d'orange). These inflammatory breast cancer symptoms often occur quickly over a period of weeks.
Another possible symptom of inflammatory breast cancer is swollen lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone, or in both places. In many cases, a tumor cannot be felt, and may not be detected using a mammogram.
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