Symptoms of Breast Cancer: An Overview
Not everyone with
breast cancer will have early symptoms of the disease. That is why
breast cancer screening is so important. Breast cancer screening before symptoms of breast cancer develop can help doctors find and treat cancer early. Also,
breast cancer treatment is more likely to work well when cancer is found early.
Common Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Common symptoms of breast cancer include:
- A change in how the breast or nipple feels
- A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
- 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).
Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type of breast cancer. In inflammatory breast cancer, the lymph vessels around the breast become blocked. Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer 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 (called peau d'orange). These symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer 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. Often, a tumor cannot be felt, and may not be seen on a mammogram.
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