early symptoms of breast cancer

Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
Updated on September 12, 2024
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60% of early-stage breast cancer presents as a lump, most commonly in the upper outer quadrant. The primary symptoms include a painless, solitary, small lump that is hard, uneven in surface, irregular in shape, and not clearly demarcated from surrounding tissues. The lump is hard to move within the breast, indicating adhesion to the surrounding tissue. The skin over the lump may show signs of redness, swelling, indentation, orange peel-like texture, dimpling, and ulceration. Sometimes, there may also be nipple discharge, typically bloody, and early-stage enlargement of the axillary lymph nodes can occur.

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Late-stage symptoms of breast cancer

The first symptom of advanced breast cancer is a lump in the breast, which may be larger than before, or there may be multiple lumps that are fixed to the surrounding tissues and have limited mobility. The second symptom is nipple discharge, which could be watery, serous, or milky. The third possible sign is changes in the skin, such as dimpling or an orange-peel texture. The fourth point includes the retraction of the nipple, abnormalities in the areola, and thickening and reddening of the nipple skin. The fifth point can involve pain in the breast. In advanced stages, the cancer may directly invade the nerves. Sixthly, advanced breast cancer may lead to metastases; for example, brain metastases might cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness. If there are bone metastases, especially multiple bone metastases, symptoms could include pain in the lower back and pain along the sciatic nerve, among others.

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie
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Breast Cancer Metastasizes to Which Locations

Breast cancer metastasis generally follows the following sites due to its anatomical structure and specific characteristics. The most common sites are the axilla, the contralateral breast, the contralateral axilla, and the areas above and below the clavicle, which is also known as the pipa bone, referring to the areas above and below the pipa bone. As for distant organs, based on the frequency or likelihood of occurrence, the most common are the lungs, bones, liver, and the brain, specifically within the head. These are referred to as the lungs, bones, liver, and head, which are the places most prone to distant organ metastasis.

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Thymus cancer and breast cancer differences

Thymic cancer, which refers to the malignant tumor that occurs in the thymus, predominantly presents as squamous cell carcinoma. It generally arises in the mediastinum, with clinical symptoms such as chest pain, cough, and breathing difficulties. Breast cancer, on the other hand, refers to the malignant tumor occurring in the breast tissue, with invasive ductal carcinoma being the most common type. Its symptoms often include unintentionally discovered breast lumps, or metastasis to axillary lymph nodes, felt as enlargement of these nodes. Therefore, these two diseases differ in their sites of origin, symptoms, pathological types, and treatments.

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Written by Fan Hong Qiao
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What is invasive breast cancer?

Invasive breast cancer is the most common tumor in women, accounting for 22% of all malignant tumors in females. Invasive breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor where cancer cells have broken through the basement membrane of the breast ducts or lobular alveoli and invaded the interstitium. The vast majority of invasive breast cancers are adenocarcinomas, originating from the epithelial cells of the breast parenchyma, especially from the terminal duct lobular units. Its characteristics include the tumor's infiltration into adjacent tissues and a marked tendency for distant metastasis.

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Breast cancer surgery accompaniment for a few days

The duration of postoperative care for breast cancer surgery depends on the extent of the surgery. This includes modified radical mastectomy, classic radical mastectomy, and surgeries that preserve both the breast and the axilla. For surgeries that preserve the breast and axilla, patients typically recover quickly, and generally, providing care for three to five days is more than sufficient. However, to ensure patients feel comforted and cared for, it's common to provide care starting the day before surgery until the patient is discharged. Postoperative care tends to be longer for modified radical mastectomies that include axillary clearance, as care is needed until the patient can fully manage the arm on the operated side on their own. Therefore, the care duration varies depending on the individual and their recovery. Thus, the shortest duration of care is usually for surgeries that preserve both the breast and axilla, typically sufficient within three to five days.