Symptoms of invasive breast tumors

In recent years, with the accelerated pace of life, female friends not only bear the responsibility of taking care of the family, but also have to go to work every day. Under such double pressure, female friends are more neglectful of their bodies, resulting in many diseases not being discovered even if they are discovered. Invasive breast cancer is one of them. This disease refers to a malignant tumor in which cancer cells have penetrated the mammary ducts and invaded the interstitium. For your own health, let's learn about the symptoms of invasive breast tumors.

Early breast cancer often does not have typical symptoms and signs and is not easily taken seriously. It is often discovered through physical examinations or breast cancer screening. The following are typical signs of breast cancer.

1. Breast lumps

80% of breast cancer patients first present with a breast lump. Patients often discover breast lumps accidentally, which are usually single, hard, with irregular edges and a less smooth surface. Most breast cancers are painless lumps, and only a few are accompanied by varying degrees of dull pain or tingling.

2. Nipple discharge

The discharge of blood, serum, milk, or pus from the nipple during the non-pregnancy period, or the continued discharge of milk after breastfeeding for more than six months is called nipple discharge. There are many causes of nipple discharge, common diseases include intraductal papilloma, breast hyperplasia, mammary duct ectasia and breast cancer. Unilateral single-hole bloody discharge should be further examined, and should be taken more seriously if accompanied by a breast mass.

3. Skin changes

Breast cancer can cause skin changes and present a variety of signs. The most common is that the tumor invades the Cooper ligament connecting the breast skin and the deep pectoral muscle fascia, causing it to shorten and lose elasticity, pulling the skin in the corresponding area and causing the "dimple sign", that is, a small depression appears in the breast skin, like a dimple. If cancer cells block the lymphatic vessels, "orange peel changes" will occur, that is, many small dot-like depressions will appear on the breast skin, just like orange peel. In the late stage of breast cancer, cancer cells infiltrate into the skin along lymphatic vessels, glandular ducts or fibrous tissue and grow, forming scattered hard nodules in the skin around the main cancer focus, the so-called "skin satellite nodules."

4. Abnormalities of nipples and areolas

Tumors located deep in or close to the nipple may cause nipple retraction. When the tumor is far away from the nipple and the large ducts in the breast are invaded and shortened, the nipple may also retract or rise. Eczematoid carcinoma of the nipple, also known as Paget's disease of the breast, is characterized by itching, erosion, ulceration, crusting, desquamation, and burning pain of the nipple skin, resulting in nipple retraction.

5. Swollen axillary lymph nodes

About 1/3 of breast cancer patients have axillary lymph node metastasis. In the early stage, the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes may be swollen, and the swollen lymph nodes are hard, scattered, and movable. As the disease progresses, the lymph nodes gradually fuse and become adhered and fixed to the skin and surrounding tissues. In the late stage, metastatic lymph nodes can be felt above the clavicle and in the contralateral axilla.