Early Breast Cancer

Early breast cancer is not necessarily incurable. People still need to have confidence in their treatment so that the treatment effect can be better. They also need to choose appropriate treatment measures based on their symptoms. However, most patients need to adopt radiotherapy and chemotherapy. These two comprehensive treatment methods can prevent the spread of cancer cells.

1. Although some early breast cancer patients cannot feel a clear lump in the breast, they often have local discomfort, especially postmenopausal women. Sometimes they feel mild pain and discomfort in one breast, or heaviness, soreness and discomfort in one shoulder and back, and even involve the upper arm on that side.

2. In the early stage, a bean-sized lump can be felt in the breast, which is hard and movable. There is generally no obvious pain, and a few have paroxysmal dull pain, dull pain or stabbing pain.

3. Changes in breast appearance: The skin at the site of the lump may be seen to be bulging, and some local skin may appear orange peel-like, or even edematous, discolored, or have eczema-like changes.

4. The nipple is retracted near the center. The breast skin has slight depression (medically known as "dimple syndrome"), nipple erosion, nipple asymmetry, or the breast skin becomes thicker and coarser and the pores are enlarged (medically known as "orange peel syndrome").

5. Nipple discharge: If the discharge is bloody or serous, special attention should be paid to further examination.

6. Regional lymphadenopathy, most commonly in the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes. Supraclavicular lymphadenopathy is already in the late stage.

1. A small number of breast cancer patients may experience varying degrees of tenderness or nipple discharge in the early stages. Breast cancer tumors grow rapidly. The breast may have "orange peel-like" changes, with the skin on the surface of the tumor becoming sunken, the nipple leaning toward the direction of the tumor, and the nipple becoming inverted. In the late stages of breast cancer, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis may cause a series of other symptoms.

2. Breast cancer patients may develop "tumor loss of appetite-cachexia syndrome" in the middle and late stages. Loss of appetite is both the cause and clinical manifestation of cachexia. Symptoms such as loss of appetite, anorexia, weight loss, fatigue, anemia and fever may occur, and in severe cases, it may be life-threatening.

3. Lymph node metastasis may occur in the late stage of breast cancer. The ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes will swell, and the number of swollen lymph nodes will continue to increase, and they will adhere to each other into clumps. A small number of patients may have contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis. In the later stages of breast cancer, distant metastasis may occur. Breast cancer may metastasize to the lungs, causing symptoms such as chest pain, pleural effusion, and shortness of breath. Spinal metastasis can cause severe pain in the affected area or even paraplegia, while liver metastasis can cause jaundice, liver enlargement, etc.

Most complications of breast cancer occur in the middle and late stages of cancer, when the patient is in poor physical condition and the disease is more serious. The spread of cancer cells needs to be actively controlled.