Early stage breast cancer often has no symptoms, but a lump in the breast or under the armpit can be a sign. Other symptoms include nipple discharge, skin dimpling, nipple inversion, change in breast size or shape, rashes, and inflammation. Regular self-exams and mammograms are important for early detection.
In most cases, early stage breast cancer has few symptoms. Most women and men, as both can develop breast cancer, can notice breast cancer by detecting a lump in the breast or under the armpit. Lumps don’t necessarily mean you have breast cancer. In about 90 percent of cases, the lumps are benign, but the best way to determine if a lump could be one of the true symptoms of breast cancer is to see your doctor. They may ask you to have a needle biopsy to check for cancerous cells or to have a mammogram to view your breasts and rule out breast cancer.
Other breast cancer symptoms may be noted in typical cases. These can include discharge from the nipples, often red in color or appearing bloody. Keep in mind that nipple discharge will definitely occur for some time after you have a baby or stop breastfeeding, and sometimes even when you take certain types of medications. A doctor may take a smear of the discharge to look for the presence of malignant cells.
Several other symptoms of breast cancer include dimpling of the skin around the breast, nipple inversion, change in the size or shape of only one breast, and rashes on or around the nipple. What makes these breast cancer symptoms confusing and sometimes ignored is that each of these things can be caused by other conditions. However, given the rapid spread of real breast cancer, it is always best to check for these symptoms by consulting a doctor.
There are some rare types of breast cancer that are easier to detect. Inflammatory breast cancer, for example, is associated with swelling (inflammation) of the entire breast. Other symptoms of breast cancer of this type include extreme pain in the breast and the color of the breast changing to red. When the breast is very inflamed, the pores on the skin can be very noticeable and some liken the appearance to an orange peel. The entire breast may feel warm to the touch and may feel not only swollen but also stiff or firm.
Yet another rare breast cancer called Paget’s disease of the nipple or Paget’s disease of the breast can look like a rash on the breast. The rash looks scaly and is usually itchy and uncomfortable. People often mistake this cancer for eczema, but the spread of the rash can help determine Paget’s disease of the breast, as well as doing a needle biopsy. The rash usually starts on the nipples, covers the areola, and then spreads to the skin surrounding the nipple. If you notice a rash on your nipple that persists for more than a few days and then spreads, you should definitely see a doctor.
Many women and men have no symptoms of early-stage breast cancer and fail to detect lumps early enough. It cannot be stressed enough how extremely important it is to conduct regular monthly breast self-exams. It’s also important for women to start getting mammograms in their 40s, even if they aren’t pleasant, to help with early diagnosis. Mammograms should start earlier if you have a family history of early-onset breast cancer.
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