Late-stage symptoms of breast cancer

Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
Updated on September 13, 2024
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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.

Other Voices

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie
Breast Surgery
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How long does breast cancer metastasis take?

How long does it take for breast cancer to metastasize? There is no absolute scientific data on this issue. Based on data from theoretical animal experiments, metastasis can occur within a few hours, tens of hours, several days, or even years. It should be understood in this way. I believe your question primarily concerns how long after breast cancer surgery metastasis might typically occur. Generally speaking, after comprehensive treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy, the earliest metastases appear within a year. The peak incidence for most people is between two to three years after treatment, making this period critical for frequent check-ups. During the first two years, stringent, thorough examinations every three months are essential. After two years, check-ups every six months continue from the third to the fifth year. After five years, annual physical examinations are recommended. A second peak period for recurrence occurs around eight to nine years post-surgery, which is why the frequency of examinations increases again during this time.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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How long does breast cancer surgery take?

Generally speaking, for breast cancer surgery, local anesthesia is first used to biopsy the pathology. After removing the pathology, it is quickly determined whether it is malignant or benign. Then, the procedure is switched to general anesthesia to perform either modified radical mastectomy or radical mastectomy, or a sentinel lymph node biopsy. The approximate time is about two hours, plus postoperative care, it usually ends in about two and a half hours, and then the patient is sent back to the ward to rest, generally not exceeding three hours.

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Written by Fan Hong Qiao
Breast Health Department
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Breast Cancer Self-Examination Method

Breast self-examination helps to detect changes in the breasts in a timely manner, and to discover breast diseases promptly. For instance, breast lumps are often found by patients themselves during self-examination. However, finding a breast lump does not necessarily mean it is breast cancer, as many conditions can present as breast lumps, such as the most common one, fibrocystic breast changes. Besides breast self-examination, early detection of breast cancer also relies on regular physical check-ups. It is recommended that women of childbearing age should develop the habit of regular breast self-examinations and routine physical check-ups, and consult a doctor promptly if abnormalities are found.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

Breast cancer is most commonly found (60% of cases) on the outer boundary of the breast. Its symptoms often include a single, painless, small lump that is hard, with an uneven surface and an irregular shape. The boundaries of the lump are not clearly distinguishable from the surrounding tissue, and it cannot be easily moved within the breast. The skin over the lump may show signs of redness, swelling, dimpling or orange-peel-like changes. Additional symptoms might include dimpling, ulceration, and other abnormalities. The lump may be associated with changes in the same side nipple, such as bloody discharge, and enlarged lymph nodes can sometimes be felt under the armpit.

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie
Breast Surgery
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Breast cancer symptoms

The symptoms of breast cancer depend on the severity of the cancer and whether there are any signs of metastasis or recurrence. It is important to emphasize that over 90% of breast cancer cases do not involve pain as a symptom. This means that the earliest symptoms of breast cancer are usually determined by whether the cancer is in its early or late stages. Early-stage breast cancer may have no symptoms at all, or there may be signs such as a lump or hard nodule in the breast, discharge from the nipple, especially coffee-colored or bloody discharge. Late-stage symptoms can include changes in the skin of the breast resembling the texture of an orange peel, palpable large lymph nodes in the armpit that are hard but neither painful nor itchy. If the cancer has metastasized to the lungs, chest cavity, pleura, liver, bones, or head, symptoms might include chest pain, coughing, difficulty breathing, abdominal distention, bone pain or fractures, as well as headaches, eye pressure, and dizziness, among others. Therefore, the symptoms of breast disease depend on whether the cancer is in its early stages; if it is in a late stage and has metastasized to other parts, corresponding symptoms will be present. It is also important to remember that early-stage breast cancer may not show any symptoms at all.