Early symptoms of breast cancer

Written by Lin Yang

Breast Surgery

Updated on May 07, 2025

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The initial symptom of early breast cancer is a painless, single small lump with no redness or swelling around the skin. However, a few individuals may experience nipple discharge, typically fresh or stale blood. There may be slight indentations on the skin and some itching. Visually, some individuals might notice inverted nipples and lymph node metastasis under the armpits. The lump often has unclear boundaries, is hard in texture, has limited mobility, adheres to the skin, and is difficult to move within the breast tissue.

Other Voices

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Written by Li Hu Chen

Imaging Center

44sec

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Does breast mammography detect breast cancer?

Mammography primarily checks for any issues in a woman's breast, such as space-occupying lesions, which can be simply understood as a method specifically for screening breast cancer. Mammography is generally performed in the radiology department, where each breast is compressed using a flat panel, and then images are taken to look for any suspicious nodules. Generally speaking, it is adequate to perform this examination once a year. If one prefers not to undergo mammography, breast ultrasound can also be used to screen for breast cancer. If performed annually, it can effectively detect early cancerous changes or suspicious nodules, and if necessary, further treatment or assessment can be undertaken.

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Written by Lin Yang

Breast Surgery

41sec

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Types of breast cancer surgery

Breast cancer surgery types are generally still dominated by modified radical mastectomy. Modified radical mastectomy can be divided into two types; one preserves both the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles, and the other removes the pectoralis minor muscle but preserves the pectoralis major muscle. Another option is breast-conserving surgery, which is feasible for tumors smaller than three centimeters and at least two centimeters away from the nipple. Nowadays, sentinel lymph node biopsy has become popular. If it proves that the sentinel lymph node has no metastasis, a single mastectomy can be performed.

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Written by Gong Chun

Oncology

44sec

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Early-stage breast cancer symptoms

Early-stage breast cancer may exhibit several symptoms. The first is the presence of breast lumps. The second symptom might be nipple discharge, which can be serous, watery, or milky in nature. The third symptom might involve changes in the skin over the breast tumor, including skin adhesion, such as dimpling, engorgement of superficial veins, skin reddening, localized increase in temperature, and an orange-peel texture. The fourth symptom includes abnormalities of the nipple and areola, potentially featuring nipple retraction, erosion of the nipple, thickening of the nipple epithelium, and reddening. The fifth symptom could be breast pain.

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie

Breast Surgery

54sec

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Breast cancer surgical methods

There are many surgical methods for breast cancer, but specifically, they are related to the stage of the disease. Generally speaking, the surgical methods for breast cancer include the following types: The first type is the modified radical mastectomy, which is the most traditional and has the broadest scope of excision. This often involves the complete removal of the breast, and the axilla may be cleared, or a sentinel lymph node biopsy may be performed instead, which is a possibility. The second type of breast cancer surgery is the best, used for early-stage breast cancer, which can preserve the breast, known as breast-conserving surgery. The third method of surgery involves removing all the glandular tissue inside the breast while preserving the skin, nipple, and areola complex, and then reconstructing the breast by placing an implant.

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Written by Gong Chun

Oncology

1min 30sec

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How does one get breast cancer?

How is breast cancer caused? Regarding the causes of breast cancer, the primary factor should be family history. If a first-degree relative has breast cancer, then the likelihood of developing breast cancer increases. The second factor is reproductive factors; for instance, if the age at menarche is quite young, menopause age is relatively late, menstrual cycles are short, there is no childbirth or the age at first full-term pregnancy is older, there are fewer childbirths, and there is a lack of breastfeeding, then the incidence of breast cancer is also higher. The third factor involves hormones, possibly related to endogenous hormones or exogenous hormones, such as those mainly associated with oral contraceptives used externally. The fourth major point is a high-fat diet, or habits like drinking alcohol, smoking, and a diet low in vitamins, which may increase the risk of breast cancer. The fifth point involves other factors, such as exposure to significant amounts of ionizing radiation, chemicals from cancer drugs, lack of physical exercise, and occupations, such as working in the beauty industry or pharmaceutical manufacturing, etc., which may also increase the chances of developing breast cancer.