7 signs of breast cancer remind you to get checked

1. Breast lumps

Breast lumps are the main symptom of breast tumors. More than 80% of the lumps are discovered accidentally by the patients themselves, and only a small number are discovered by doctors during physical examinations. Breast lumps are also seen in breast hyperplasia, breast tuberculosis, etc.

2. Nipple discharge

It is generally believed that 60% of bloody discharge may be cancerous. Serous, milky or watery discharge is more likely to be benign. Those accompanied by lumps should be suspected of malignancy. Non-bloody nipple discharge without lumps is usually benign.

3. Changes in breast skin

In most breast diseases, there are no changes in the breast skin. Acute mastitis often causes skin redness and swelling, breast tuberculosis may be accompanied by skin ulcers or fistulas, and breast cancer may cause skin indentation to form the "dimple sign."

4. Changes in the nipples

Nipple inversion is also seen in breast cancer, often unilaterally. If eczema and itching recur around the nipple and do not heal for a long time, you should consider the possibility of Paget's disease, which is a special type of breast cancer.

5. Changes in breast contour

A normal breast has a complete arc-shaped outline. Any defects or abnormalities in this arc are very important and are often early manifestations of breast cancer.

6. Axillary lymphadenopathy and upper arm edema

Both mastitis and breast cancer can cause axillary lymph node enlargement, while upper arm edema is caused by extensive metastasis of the axillary lymph nodes.

7. Localized thickening of the breast gland

If the breast tissue is slightly thicker than the surrounding tissue when palpated, and the boundaries are unclear, it is difficult to measure its exact size, and clinically it is generally diagnosed as "hyperplasia". If the thickened tissue persists for a long time, is not related to changes in the menstrual cycle, or becomes increasingly thicker and larger in size, especially when it occurs in postmenopausal women, it must be taken seriously because about 8 percent of such lesions are cancer.