Is breast cancer painful?

Although breast cancer is not a disease exclusive to women, clinical data show that it mostly occurs in women. This is mainly because the physiological structure of women's breasts is different from that of men. Breast cancer will definitely cause pain when it occurs. In addition, since breast cancer patients will have lumps and lumps in their chests, pain will occur when these lumps are touched. In addition to pain, breast cancer has other obvious symptoms.

(1) Lump

It is the first symptom of breast cancer. According to foreign reports, most lumps are located in the upper outer quadrant, followed by the upper inner quadrant and the nipple-areola area, and fewer in the lower area. The lumps vary in size, with 2 to 3 cm being the most common. They are mostly solitary but occasionally multiple. The lumps are mostly round or oval, with unclear boundaries, are generally hard nodules, and have poor mobility.

(2) Pain

Most breast cancer patients lack pain symptoms. Breast cancer is not easily detected early because pain rarely occurs. The pain often manifests as tingling, distension or dull pain in the breast. If the cancer is accompanied by cystic breast hyperplasia, periodic pain may also occur.

(3) Breast skin changes

The breast tissue is surrounded by the superficial fascia located under the skin, and the deep and superficial fascia are connected by Cooper's ligaments. Because the superficial fascia is connected to the skin, when breast cancer invades the Cooper ligaments between the breasts and shortens them, it will pull the skin, causing the local skin to become sunken, like a dimple, which is called the "dimple sign." In addition, direct adhesion of the tumor to the skin may also cause this situation. The dimple sign can appear at an early stage of breast cancer and is more obvious when the affected arm moves up and down.

(4) Skin nodules

When nodules are distributed in the skin around the lesions, they are called satellite nodules. They are caused by direct infiltration of cancer cells into the skin along the lymphatic vessels, mammary ducts or subcutaneous fascia chords. Satellite nodules may be single or multiple, the latter are often dispersed.