If you can relate, you probably have a special friend, family member, or colleague who has been, is currently, or will soon be impacted by breast cancer. While cancer exists in various forms, breast cancer often takes the spotlight in discussions. As we continue to raise awareness about this crucial issue, we at The Narrative Matters would like to share a blog from AARP that outlines the seven warning signs of breast cancer. My hope is that this information will empower someone to advocate for themselves and potentially save a life.
Source: AARP
By Kristen Fischer, AARP
Key takeaways
- A new lump is the most common warning sign of breast cancer, but most lumps are not cancer.
- Skin, nipple, breast shape or lymph node changes warrant medical attention.
- New or persistent changes should be checked, even after a recent mammogram.
In a perfect world, no one would ever get breast cancer. In the next best world, all breast cancer would be caught at the earliest, most treatable stage — a point at which most people have no symptoms and mammograms typically find cancers.
“You don’t want to get to the point where there are changes in the breast, if that’s possible,” says Karen Knudsen, chief executive officer of the Parker Center for Cancer Immunotherapy in San Francisco and former CEO of the American Cancer Society (ACS).
In reality, many women get diagnosed when they notice a lump or another change in their breast, and when this happens, it’s important to get checked out promptly.
When women skip screenings, or cancers are missed or develop between mammograms, a quick reaction to possible symptoms can make a big difference in treatment outcomes, says Dr. Ethan Cohen, an associate professor of breast imaging at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“We do see quite a few people who say something like, ‘Yeah, I felt this lump six months ago, and it just kept growing and growing,’ ”Cohen says. “Please don’t do that.”
These are among the changes that should trigger a call to your health care provider:
1. A new lump in your breast
That is, by far, the most common sign of breast cancer, Knudsen and Cohen say. A painless, hard mass with irregular edges is most worrisome, but a soft, round or tender mass can sometimes be cancer as well, the ACS says.
According to a 2017 study in Cancer Epidemiology looking at 2,316 women with breast cancer, a lump was present in 83 percent of cases. In the other cases, 7 percent had a nipple abnormality, 6 percent experienced breast pain, 1 percent had a non-breast symptom like back pain, and 0.3 percent had the symptom of losing weight.
Even though a lump can be cancerous, most lumps are not cancer. They can be benign cysts or normal breast tissue that feels lumpy. Monthly hormonal cycles and the approach of menopause can create lumpiness too.
2. Swelling or changes in breast size or shape
If your breasts are normally the same size and one suddenly looks larger, you should get an exam, experts say. This is especially true if changes are sudden, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
3. Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or near the collarbone
In some women, swollen lymph nodes can appear before other breast changes. They are often caused by an infection, injury or other immune response, but they’re still worth discussing with your doctor.
4. Skin changes on the breast
The skin on your breast may become itchy, red, scaled, dimpled or puckered as a result of breast cancer. In some cases, your skin might resemble an orange peel, which may indicate something is wrong and you should seek professional care.
Pointing to the same 2017 study in Cancer Epidemiology, Dr. Ramy Sedhom, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine who works with older adults regularly, says about 1 in 6 women with breast cancer have symptoms like breast pain, skin thickening or redness.
Another skin symptom: He often sees women in their 70s or 80s who have a rash on their breast and took antibiotics, thinking it was an infection when it actually was breast cancer.
“These signs are often subtle,” Sedhom says, and often, dismissed.
5. Changes in nipple appearance
Another sign that you may have breast cancer: The nipple retracts inward or looks pulled to the side. A change like this warrants a trip to your doctor.
6. Nipple discharge
Any discharge that isn’t breast milk is cause for concern. The discharge could include bleeding, though clear discharge can be a red flag too, says Dr. Elizabeth McDonald, a professor of radiology and director of breast MRI at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia.
7. Breast pain
Occasional pain in the breast is typically not a sign of breast cancer — in fact, it’s quite normal and can be linked to your menstrual cycle. But if you have pain in your breast or armpit that lingers, it could be an indicator of the disease.
Warning Signs in Younger vs. Older Adults
Do younger women experience a different set of unique symptoms?
The warning signs of breast cancer are the same regardless of age, says Dr. Sherry Shen, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
There are “no particular signs that are more common in older women,” Shen says.
Should you do self-exams?
About 66 percent of breast cancers in the United States are diagnosed in early stages, while still confined to the breast, Knudsen says. Such early breast cancers are unlikely to have outward signs or symptoms, she says.
But the fact that one-third of breast cancers are diagnosed later, when signs and symptoms are more likely, raises a question: Should you do regular breast self-exams to detect those changes as soon as possible?
Although monthly self-exams were once widely recommended, studies found that they did not increase early detection of breast cancer or lower death rates for women at average risk for breast cancer.
Today, many doctors recommend that women simply pay attention to how their breasts normally look and feel and how they change during monthly menstrual cycles and through life changes such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause and aging.
“It’s important for each woman to know what her normal is,” Cohen says. In general, he says, women should seek medical attention for “anything that they’re pretty sure wasn’t there before and persists over the course of a week or so.”
He adds that some women at high risk — such as those who have previously had breast cancer, have a strong family history or known genetic risks — might schedule more frequent regular breast exams with a doctor to try to catch changes as quickly as possible.
Women who get regular mammograms should be just as vigilant as those who’ve missed some screenings, as many U.S. women did during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, Knudsen says.
If a woman finds a lump or other change, she says, “it’s the right time to go to their provider, even if they’ve had a mammogram only three months before.… Timing is irrelevant.”
