Symptoms

Eight out of ten breast lumps turn out not to be cancer. Still, it’s important to get screened regularly and report any changes in your breasts to your doctor.

Early breast cancer usually doesn’t cause pain, and it often has no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause changes that you should be alert to. While these symptoms are much more common in women, men can experience them as well:

  • A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
  • A change in the size or shape of the breast
  • Nipple discharge or tenderness
  • Nipple inversion, where a nipple has pulled back into the breast
  • Ridging, pitting, or other changes in the skin or texture of the breast. For instance, the breast may take on the texture of an orange peel
  • A change in the way the skin of the breast, nipple, or areola — the darker area of skin around the nipple — looks or feels. For example, the breast may feel warm, tender, or swollen, or look red and scaly

These symptoms may be caused by many other conditions than cancer. Nonetheless, it’s important to see your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.

Find more information on breast cancer symptoms from our partner site by Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

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