What are the common symptoms of breast cancer? Pay attention to these manifestations

Breast cancer mostly occurs in women, and rarely in men (but it does happen, so we need to be vigilant). Most of the patients we see in the clinic are between 45 and 55 years old, and there are also very few young patients, such as those under 35 years old. So the first question is, what kind of people are prone to breast cancer?

We don’t actually know the exact cause of breast cancer, but there are some high-risk groups. It should be noted that being at high risk does not necessarily mean you will get sick. For example, there is a patient with breast cancer in our ward. Her daughter is 30 years old and has breast hyperplasia. She asks me every day if she wants to have surgery, worried about getting breast cancer in the future. There is no need to worry about this. Because breast cancer has a family clustering phenomenon, but only 5-10% is hereditary, so don’t be bothered by these.

Promote a healthy lifestyle

Drink in moderation: Don't drink excessively. It's not easy to quit drinking completely, but you should reduce the frequency and amount of drinking. Quit smoking.

Exercise regularly: Do aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week, in layman's terms, exercise that makes you sweat, for 30 minutes each time.

Maintain a healthy weight: A high body mass index (BMI) and a thick waist are considered risk factors for breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal women. In other words, obesity is a high-risk factor for breast cancer. Therefore, some domestic data show that women with a BMI of 22-23 are safer than those with a BMI greater than 24.

Healthy diet: A high-fat, high-calorie, high-protein diet is believed to be associated with a high incidence of breast cancer, so it is important to reduce your intake. Excessive nutritional supplementation, especially estrogen-containing supplements, can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Estrogen replacement therapy: Estrogen replacement therapy used to reduce menopausal symptoms may increase the risk of breast cancer.

About stress: Stress itself may not be a risk factor for cancer, but improper response can reduce the body's immune function and increase the risk of breast cancer.

Fertility and breastfeeding: Not having children or having children late can be a risk, and not breastfeeding is also a risk.

Common symptoms and signs of breast cancer

Lump: The most common way to feel a lump is to touch it, but some people may mistake the nodules of breast hyperplasia for lumps due to improper manipulation. Therefore, it is very important to go to a breast specialist for a clinical examination. Most lumps may not hurt, but some may hurt, or they may not hurt at first but become painful later.

Dimple sign: Breast tissue is surrounded by the superficial fascia under the skin, and the deep and superficial fascia are connected by Cooper's ligaments. Since the superficial fascia is connected to the skin, when breast cancer invades the Cooper's ligaments between the breasts and shortens them, it will pull the skin and make the local skin concave, like a dimple, which is called the "dimple sign."

Skin redness and swelling: The skin color is light red or dark red, and it quickly spreads from a limited area to most of the breast, or even the entire breast. When palpated, the entire breast becomes thicker and harder, the skin temperature increases, and it is swollen and rough.

Orange peel disease: If cancer cells block the subcutaneous lymphatic vessels, skin edema and orange peel-like changes may occur.

Skin ulceration: When the tumor develops to the late stage, the lump grows larger and may cause the skin to bulge. If there is insufficient blood supply, the skin may become red and thin, and ulceration may occur.

Skin nodules: When nodules are distributed in the skin around the lesions, they are called satellite nodules.

Changes in breast contour: When the lump is large, the breast may have local bulges and enlargement.

Nipple retraction: Nipple flatness, retraction, depression, and depression caused by breast cancer are different from congenital inverted nipples. The latter can often be pulled out by hand, while the nipple retraction caused by breast cancer cannot be pulled out, and a lump can be felt under or around the depressed nipple.

Eczema-like changes of the nipple: Initially, the nipple is itchy, the nipple epithelium becomes thicker, desquamated, and exudes, and erosion gradually occurs. The erosion is repeatedly scabbed and peeled off. Red granulation tissue appears after the areola skin is peeled off. The nipple may slowly flatten and finally disappear.

Nipple discharge: Nipple discharge, which is usually bloody.

Regional lymph node enlargement: Some breast cancers first present with regional lymph node enlargement.

Axillary lymph node metastasis: The most common type. The axillary lymph nodes are enlarged, hard to the touch, irregular, and have poor mobility.

Supraclavicular lymph nodes: Metastatic lymph nodes are mostly located in the left or right supraclavicular fossa. The lesions are hard and generally small.