Breast Cancer Symptoms and Signs

Early breast cancers may not produce any symptoms. In fact, breast cancer may not cause signs and symptoms until the disease has progressed significantly, which is one reason why screening mammograms are essential.

When symptoms do occur, the most common symptom is a mass or painless lump in the breast or armpit that is hard, irregular in shape, and is usually painless. Other symptoms that can occur are nipple discharge, redness or nipple retraction (inward turning), changes in the skin of the breast (such as dimpling or an orange-peel appearance), and size and shape changes or swelling of part of the breast. When present, fluid coming from the nipple may look like pus, may be green, brown, clear to yellow, or bloody. Breast pain can occur but is usually a late symptom. Symptoms of breast cancers are similar in younger, premenopausal women and in older women (postmenopausal or over about 50 years of age).

Not all of these signs and symptoms mean that a cancer is present, but should be reported to a doctor promptly to sort out the problem.

Breast cancer tends to spread through the lymphatic system to lymph nodes. Lymph nodes under the arm can be affected (causing swelling of the armpit) as can be lymph nodes around the collarbone. Though uncommon, these areas can present with swellings of the nodes even before the tumor in the breast can be felt.

Symptoms of advanced (metastatic or stage 4) breast cancer depend on the location of the metastases and can include weight loss, bone pain, shortness of breath, and ulceration of the skin over a cancer deposit.

Symptoms of breast cancer in men include a lump in the breast, nipple pain and tenderness, fluid from the nipple, inversion or retraction of the nipple, and sores around the nipple. Enlargement of both breasts in males is typically not due to cancer but due to hormonal or other factors.