Breast pain doesn’t usually mean cancer. Many healthy women find that their breasts feel lumpy and tender before a period. And some benign breast lumps are painful. Many women get pain in their breasts for a while, which goes after a time. There may be no obvious reason for the pain, even with lots of tests. Most breast pain is not caused by cancer, but some breast cancers do cause pain, so if you are worried, see your GP.
Symptoms breast cancer may include:
- A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
- Bloody discharge from the nipple
- Change in the size or shape of a breast
- Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
- Inverted nipple
- Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin
- Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange
When to see a doctor
If you notice anything unusual about your breast, have it examined. Even though most breast lumps are benign, they need to be checked to rule out cancer. Our page on breast awareness shows how to learn what is normal for you.
Your doctor will examine you and if necessary will send you to a specialist breast clinic for further checks. At the clinic, they will be able to see on your mammogram or ultrasound if the lump is a fluid filled cyst or a solid lump.
If it is a cyst, they may get rid of it by draining the fluid out through a fine needle. If it is a solid lump, they will stick a very fine needle into it and take a tissue sample to test for cancer cells.
Some women prefer to have benign lumps removed to relieve their worry. They may be concerned that they will confuse them with any other lumps they may get in the future. But if you and your doctor are confident that the lump is benign, you do not have to have it removed if you do not want to. Benign lumps don’t turn into cancer.
If your lump is a cancer, the earlier you have breast cancer treatment, the better your chance of cure.
If you find a lump, symptoms breast cancer, make an appointment with your doctor straight away.