Breast Cancer Symptoms

Although a change in the feel or appearance of a breast can be very anxiety provoking, such changes often stem from benign causes instead of breast cancer. Still, when a new change is detected it is important to bring it to the attention of a doctor so that it can be promptly evaluated. This initial assessment will include a clinical breast exam by the doctor and then usually a mammogram and/or ultrasound. If these tests indicate a possible cancer, a biopsy—the removal of a sample of breast tissue for a pathologist to examine—will be recommended.

Since women's breasts undergo regular changes in size or texture during the menstrual cycle, it is important to become familiar with what's "normal" for you so you can quickly identify any change that may be suspicious. The most common suspicious change is the appearance of a lump or swollen area in the breast or underarm. Other changes that require a physician's attention:

• An alteration in the breast's shape or size
• A reddening of the breast skin
• Discharge of clear or bloody material from the nipple
• Changes to the nipple, such as a retracting or flakiness
• The areola becoming puckered, flat or tight

While breast cancer causes lumps and changes in the feel and size of breasts, so can a number of benign conditions. These include:

• Cysts: Saclike, fluid-filled structures that can be as large as an egg and may feel tender. Cysts are most common in women between 35 and 50 years of age and may become larger before the menstrual period and shrink or vanish when it is over. They occur less often after menopause.
• Fibroadenomas: Benign (noncancerous) tumors that can increase or decrease in size or even vanish. They feel solid, smooth, and firm, will move when touched, and do not cause discomfort. They are most common before menopause.
• Fibrocystic changes: A common condition, occurring in the majority of women and possibly connected to fluctuating hormone levels in the body, in which cysts and growth in breast fibers gives tissue a ropey, lumpy feel.
• Infection: A breast infection, or mastitis, which often occurs while a woman is breastfeeding. As with infections elsewhere in the body, indications of mastitis include swelling, tenderness, redness, and heat. Mastitis is often accompanied by fever, a general sick feeling, and swollen underarm lymph nodes.
• Trauma: Bruising or a lump may follow an injury to the breast. Such lumps still need to be evaluated to make sure they are indeed due to damaged breast tissue and not the result of a cancer that is bleeding because of the recent trauma.