Where does breast cancer usually hurt?

Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
Updated on May 15, 2025
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Breast cancer generally is painless, early stages present as a painless, solitary, small lump that is hard and has an uneven surface, with unclear boundaries with the surrounding tissue and is difficult to move within the breast. It is usually discovered accidentally by the patient or while bathing. As breast cancer continues to grow, it invades the Cooper's ligaments, causing contraction, hence the skin over the lump often appears puckered, a sign commonly referred to as dimpling, indicative of early-stage breast cancer. As the cancer progresses, it often causes the breast to shrink and harden, elevates the nipple, and may involve the milk ducts, leading to nipple retraction or indentation. It can also significantly increase in size within months, causing the affected breast to become larger and protrude. Breast cancer, invading the chest muscles and fascia, may fix the lump to the chest wall, making it difficult to move.

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie
Breast Surgery
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Breast cancer IIA is stage 2.

Breast cancer stage IIa is considered early stage. Breast cancer is classified into stages 0, I, IIa, IIb, III, and IV. Stage III is further divided into IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc. Strictly speaking, breast cancers at stage IIa and earlier are considered early-stage breast cancer, while stage III is considered locally advanced breast cancer, including IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, and stage IV is considered advanced breast cancer. However, since most operable breast cancers, which include up to stage IIIa (stages 0, I, II, and including IIIa), generally have favorable treatment outcomes, many research institutions and medical organizations in Western countries define all stages up to IIIa as early-stage breast cancer. Therefore, breast cancer stage IIa is classified as early-stage cancer.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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early symptoms of breast cancer

Breast cancer commonly occurs in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, with a hard, stone-like texture, mostly presenting as solitary masses that can be round, oval, or irregular in shape. These tumors have limited mobility and tend to adhere to the skin and surrounding tissues. However, the size of the mass does not change with menstrual cycles or emotional fluctuations, and it can grow rapidly in a short period. It predominantly affects middle-aged and elderly women. Additionally, mammography can reveal tiny calcifications, abnormal vascular patterns, and spiculated changes.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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Breast Cancer Screening Methods

Breast cancer screening methods start with manual palpation to check for lumps. Second, mammography is used, which is the most effective method for early diagnosis of breast cancer with a sensitivity of 80%-90%. Additionally, breast ultrasound and B-ultrasound examinations can be performed, which are simple, safe, and non-invasive. Another available method is breast MRI, which provides more accurate differentiation between benign and malignant tumors. Lastly, a biopsy using a hollow needle can also be done.

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Written by Fan Hong Qiao
Breast Health Department
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What is invasive breast cancer?

Invasive breast cancer is the most common tumor in women, accounting for 22% of all malignant tumors in females. Invasive breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor where cancer cells have broken through the basement membrane of the breast ducts or lobular alveoli and invaded the interstitium. The vast majority of invasive breast cancers are adenocarcinomas, originating from the epithelial cells of the breast parenchyma, especially from the terminal duct lobular units. Its characteristics include the tumor's infiltration into adjacent tissues and a marked tendency for distant metastasis.

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie
Breast Surgery
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How long does breast cancer surgery take?

The duration of breast cancer surgery varies depending on multiple factors, such as the type of surgery chosen, the surgeon, and the medical institution performing the surgery. Simply put, if a breast-conserving surgery is performed, the operation might only take about half an hour; whereas a typical modified radical mastectomy, which involves removing the entire breast, might take about an hour and a half. If the surgeon is a specialist in a top-tier hospital and performs breast cancer surgeries weekly or even daily, their surgery time is definitely the shortest. Therefore, depending on these factors, the duration can be as short as several tens of minutes to as long as several hours, in the case of reconstructive surgeries where the breast is removed and then reconstructed, which can take six to eight hours. Thus, it cannot be generalized; the duration can be as quick as twenty to thirty minutes or as lengthy as several hours.