Can you have breast cancer if you don’t feel a lump?
Symptoms and Diagnosis. Breast cancer symptoms vary widely — from lumps to swelling to skin changes — and many breast cancers have no obvious symptoms at all. In some cases, a lump may be too small for you to feel or to cause any unusual changes you can notice on your own.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer besides a lump?
Other symptoms besides a lump that warn of breast cancer include:
- a nipple that turns inward (retraction)
- redness, scaling, or thickening of the nipple.
- a change in the texture of the skin on the breast.
- clear or bloody discharge from the nipple, or a milky discharge if you’re not breastfeeding.
- dimpled skin on the breast.
What are the seven warning signs of breast cancer?
Top 7 Signs Of Breast Cancer
- Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or around the collarbone. …
- Swelling of all or part of the breast. …
- Skin irritation or dimpling. …
- Breast or nipple pain.
- Nipple retraction. …
- Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin.
- Nipple discharge.
How long can you have breast cancer without knowing?
Breast cancer has to divide 30 times before it can be felt. Up to the 28th cell division, neither you nor your doctor can detect it by hand. With most breast cancers, each division takes one to two months, so by the time you can feel a cancerous lump, the cancer has been in your body for two to five years.
What did your breast cancer lump feel like?
Breast cancer usually feels like a hard or firm lump (nodule). It usually is irregular in shape (it does not have smooth edges) and may feel like it is attached (fixed) to skin or tissue deep inside the breast so that it cannot be moved without moving breast tissue.
What does a breast cancer lump look like?
The way that lump feels can provide plenty of information. Breast cancer tumors are rigid with firm, angular edges. They feel more like rocks than grapes. “A tumor won’t be smooth like a cyst.
How can a woman tell if she has breast cancer?
Skin changes, such as swelling, redness, or other visible differences in one or both breasts. An increase in size or change in shape of the breast(s) Changes in the appearance of one or both nipples. Nipple discharge other than breast milk.
Should I worry about lumps in my breast?
If you feel a lump in your breast, try not to panic or worry. Most lumps are not breast cancer, but something less serious, such as a benign breast condition. Some lumps go away on their own. In younger women, lumps are often related to menstrual periods and go away by the end of the cycle.
What does early stage breast cancer look like?
A new mass or lump in breast tissue is the most common sign of breast cancer. The ACS report that these lumps are usually hard, irregular in shape, and painless. However, some breast cancer tumors can be soft, round, and tender to the touch.
Do you feel ill with breast cancer?
Some general symptoms that breast cancer may have spread include: Feeling constantly tired. Constant nausea (feeling sick) Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite.