What are the early symptoms of breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the breast. Most cases occur in women, but there is also one percent in men. Currently, the incidence of breast cancer is on the rise every year. Because the clinical symptoms of breast cancer are particularly typical, as long as you pay attention to observation and go to the hospital as soon as possible if you find something wrong, the treatment effect is still very good. Today we will take a detailed look at the early symptoms of breast cancer.

The early symptom of breast cancer is a lump, and the vast majority of patients seek medical treatment after finding a lump in their breast. Breast lumps in adult women should be taken seriously. Breast cancer is mostly single, and it is rare to see multiple lesions in the same breast. The morphology of the lumps varies greatly, and they are generally considered to be irregular in shape, with unclear edges and a hard texture. In the early stages, cancerous tumors are confined to the breast parenchyma and can be moved, but they are not as mobile as benign tumors. Once they invade the fascia or skin, the tumor cannot be moved and the disease is in a later stage.

Breast cancer mostly occurs in the upper part of the breast, accounting for more than 50%, among which the upper quadrant is the most common, which is related to the large number of outer glandular lobes in the breast. Breast cancer originates from the glandular epithelium, and carcinoma in situ is difficult to detect. A lump of about 0.5 cm is difficult to find if it is located deep inside the large breast, but a lump of more than 1 cm is easy to find. There is also a rare type of breast cancer called occult breast cancer, in which the lump in the breast cannot be found, but metastasis to the axilla has already occurred.

In the early stages of breast cancer, most patients do not feel obvious pain. A small number of patients seek medical treatment for pain, which is mostly paroxysmal stabbing or dull pain. The pain is usually not severe until the late stage.

Nipple discharge can be physiological or pathological. The incidence of nipple discharge in the non-pregnancy and lactation period is about 3% to 8%. The discharge can be colorless, milky white, light yellow, brown, bloody, etc. It can also be watery, bloody, or serosal-purulent. The amount of discharge can be more or less, and the interval time is also different. Patients often seek medical treatment because of discharge contaminating their underwear. Nipple discharge should be treated. Smear cytology examination to confirm. Most breast cancers are accompanied by breast lumps. Nipple discharge alone is a rare symptom.

Pay attention to breast skin changes. Skin changes caused by breast cancer are related to the depth and degree of invasion of the tumor. If the lump is small and located deep, the skin will usually remain unchanged. If the lump is large and located shallowly, it will adhere to the skin early, making the skin appear sunken. If cancer cells block the subcutaneous lymphatic vessels and cause skin edema, forming orange peel-like changes, this is a late manifestation.

In a normal person, the breasts are symmetrical. When there is a tumor near the nipple, the nipple is often pulled upward, so the nipples on both sides are at different heights. Inverted nipple is an important sign of cancer in the central area of ​​the breast. The nipple is difficult to pull out with the fingers and is in a fixed retracted state. In eczematous carcinoma, the nipple is eroded and often has crusts. The boundary between the lesion area and the skin is very clear, and the lesion skin is thicker.

Regarding breast cancer, in addition to early detection and early treatment, we should also prevent it early. Here I would like to recommend to you several anti-cancer foods. For example, eating more sweet potatoes, black tea, strawberries, garlic, etc. can prevent cancer. Eat more of these foods in daily life. It will keep cancer cells away from us.