The hallmark symptom of breast cancer is a breast lump. However, malignant breast lumps may be small or hard to detect at an early stage of breast cancer. A breast lump that is malignant is often not painful, but pain can occur in some cases.
There are also other less serious causes of breast lumps, but any breast lump should be quickly evaluated medically because of the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer can be fatal, especially if untreated, and is one of the leading cancer killers in women.
A malignant breast lump can occur by itself or there may be other symptoms. Other coexisting symptoms can include breast discharge, breast deformity or change in the size or shape or appearance of the breast, a change in the look of feel of the skin of the breast, nipple tenderness, or an inverted nipple....more about Breast Cancer »
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Breast Cancer includes the 32 symptoms listed below:
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Read information about complications of Breast Cancer.
Diagnostic testing of medical conditions related to Breast Cancer:
Do I have Breast Cancer?
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
Home medical tests related to Breast Cancer:
The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Breast Cancer includes:
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More information about symptoms of Breast Cancer and related conditions:
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. In fact, when breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause changes that women should watch for:
A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area;
A change in the size or shape of the breast;
Nipple discharge or tenderness, or the nipple pulled back (inverted) into the breast;
Ridges or pitting of the breast (the skin looks like the skin of an orange); or
A change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels (for example, warm, swollen, red, or scaly).
A woman should see her doctor about any symptoms like these. Most often, they are not cancer, but it's important to check with the doctor so that any problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Breast Cancer: NCI)
When considering symptoms of Breast Cancer, it is also important to consider Breast Cancer as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Breast Cancer may cause:
For a more detailed analysis of Breast Cancer as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Breast Cancer.
These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Breast Cancer. This signs and symptoms information for Breast Cancer has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Breast Cancer signs or Breast Cancer symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Breast Cancer may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Breast Cancer symptoms.
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