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Breast cancer symptoms
Expert reviewer, Dr Adrian Raby, General Practitioner
Next review due April 2023
Regularly checking your breasts and being aware of any changes may help you to spot early signs and symptoms of breast cancer. If you have breast cancer, diagnosing it early means treatment is more likely to be successful.
How to check your breasts
There’s no recommended set way to check your breasts. It’s more important that you become aware of what’s normal for you, by regularly looking at and feeling your breasts in any way that’s comfortable and convenient. It might work for you to check your breasts in the shower or bath, when you’re getting dressed or when you’re in bed. You might notice that your breasts feel different at different times in the month. It’s a good idea to become familiar with what’s normal for you at different times.
Whatever way you check your breasts, you should be looking at:
- the size and shape of your breast including if there are any lumps
- your nipples – how they look and feel, and if there’s any discharge
- the skin on your breasts
- how your breasts feel – are they painful, for example?
In the UK, all women between the ages of 50 and 70, are invited for breast screening, every three years. This involves having an X-ray of your breast (a mammogram), to check for breast cancer. You might be eligible for screening before the age of 50 if you have a strong family history of breast cancer. Check with your GP if you think this might apply to you. It’s important to keep checking your breasts, even if you go for regular screening.
How to check your breasts
Checking your breasts regularly helps you know what’s normal for you. Choose a time and place to check your breasts when it suits you.
- Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror.
- Keep your shoulders straight and put your hands on your hips.
- Look at each breast and nipple to check for any changes in size or shape. This includes whether your nipple has sunken or become inverted (turns inwards), or if there is any fluid (discharge) coming from one or both nipples.
- Check your skin for any redness, rashes, dimpling or puckering.
- Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.
- Next, feel for any lumps or painful areas. Use the flat part of your fingers to gently work around each breast, pressing in small, circular motions. Vary your pressure to check the tissue just under your skin, but also deeper tissue too.
- Be sure to check the whole of your breast area. This includes under your armpits, all around each breast and up to your collarbone. Do this step laying down, perhaps in bed, and then standing up, maybe while taking a shower.
Your breasts might feel different at different times during the month, so getting to know what’s normal for you is key.
Always contact your GP if you notice any unusual changes.
Symptoms of breast cancer
It's important to check the whole of your breast area. This includes both breasts, your armpits and up to your collarbone. The illustrations below show you what to look out for, but remember these symptoms might happen on a different part of the breast area from that shown in the picture.
These are the most common symptoms of breast cancer.
- A lump or thickening in your breast. This will feel different from the rest of your breast tissue.
- Discharge or bleeding from your nipple. The discharge is new and isn’t milky.
- A change in the look or texture of your skin. Your skin might be red, puckered or look dimpled like the skin of an orange.
- Inflammation or a rash on or around your nipple. There may be redness, a rash or crusting on your nipple or around it.
- A change to your nipple. This might be a change to its shape, or if it becomes sunken or inverted (turns inward).
- A lump or pain in your armpit. You might notice a lump in your armpit or feel pain there.
- A change in the size or shape of your breast. You may notice this more so when you move your arms.
Having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have breast cancer. Breast lumps are often benign (non-cancerous) and there are many causes of breast changes; for more information see our section: Common breast changes. But it’s always important to get any changes checked out, so if you notice any of these symptoms, see your GP as soon as possible. They will assess you and refer you to a breast clinic for further tests if they think necessary.
Common breast changes
Over time, lots of changes happen to your breasts that aren’t related to breast cancer. Your breasts are affected by your hormones so they may change size and shape throughout your monthly cycle. They might feel tender and heavy just before your period, and go back to normal once it starts. It’s normal for many women to find lumpy areas in their breast which come and go as their hormones change during their cycle. But if a lump appears and doesn’t go, see your GP for advice.
If you're pregnant, your breasts will change while your baby is developing. This is because they are getting ready for breastfeeding. Your breasts may get bigger and feel sore and tender. Your breasts will also feel different if you’re breastfeeding. You may have cracked and sore nipples, and your breasts may feel full and painful if they’re making too much milk. You might notice tender lumps in your breasts if you develop an abscess (infection) due to a blocked milk duct. It’s still important to get any lumps or other new symptoms checked out if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
As you reach the menopause, the amount of glandular tissue (milk-producing tissue) in your breasts reduces because of the changes to your hormones. This can make your breasts feel different – they may feel smaller, lumpy, softer and less firm.
Always get any new, unusual changes to your breasts checked out – particularly a change that affects only one side.
Breast cancer - early diagnosis
Bethan talks to us about spotting the signs of breast cancer early
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What are the symptoms of breast cancer in men?
In men, the first symptom of breast cancer is usually a painless lump under the nipple or areola (the dark skin around the nipple). You can have other symptoms too, including:
- swelling of your chest area
- discharge or bleeding from your nipple
- your nipple turns inwards (inverting)
- a lump in your armpit
- an ulcer on your chest or nipple
These symptoms aren’t always caused by cancer but if you have any of them, speak to your GP.
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Other helpful websites
- Breast Cancer Now
0808 800 6000
breastcancernow.org
- Breast Cancer Now
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Sources
- Breast cancer symptoms and signs. Breast Cancer Now. breastcancernow.org, last reviewed August 2019
- Breast cancer statistics. Cancer Research UK. www.cancerresearchuk.org, accessed 26 March 2020
- Breast disease. Oxford handbook of general practice. Oxford Medicine Online. www.oxfordmedicine.com, published online April 2014
- Suspected cancer: recognition and referral. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), www.nice.org.uk, updated July 2017
- NHS breast screening. Public Health England. gov.uk, July 2019
- Breast cancer – managing FH. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. cks.nice.org.uk, last revised December 2018
- Signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Macmillan Cancer Support. www.macmillan.org.uk, 30 September 2018
- Breast cancer symptoms. Cancer Research UK. www.cancerresearchuk.org, last reviewed 27 September 2019
- Pregnancy. Encyclopaedia Britannica. www.britannica.com, last updated 7 February 2020
- Infant feeding. Patient. patient.info, last reviewed 3 July 2016
- Mammary gland. Encyclopaedia Britannica. www.britannica.com, accessed 26 March 2020
- Understanding breast changes. National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, www.cancer.gov, revised February 2014
- Breast cancer in men. Breast Cancer Now. breastcancernow.org, last reviewed January 2020
- Signs and symptoms of breast cancer in men. Macmillan Cancer Support. www.macmillan.org.uk, accessed 9 April 2020
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Author information
Reviewed by Pippa Coulter, Freelance Health Editor, April 2020
Expert reviewer, Dr Adrian Raby, General Practitioner
Next review due April 2023
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