A cancerous lump is usually hard, not soft or squishy. And it often has angular, irregular, asymmetrical edges, as opposed to being smooth, Dr. Comander says. In order for you to feel a cancerous lump, it probably has to be rather large and closer to the surface of the skin.
A breast lump that's painless, hard, unusual in shape and different from the breast tissue around it might be breast cancer. The skin covering the lump may thicken, change color or look red. It also may look flaky, dimpled or pitted like the skin of an orange. Your breast size and shape may change.
Commonly developing from the mammary glands or ducts, such malignant lumps generally (about 50 percent) appear in the upper, outer quadrant of the breast, extending into the armpit, where tissue is thicker than elsewhere.
Breast tissue in and of itself can feel somewhat lumpy and sponge-like, so it can be hard to know if what you're feeling is an actual lump or just normal breast tissue. "A breast lump will feel like a distinct mass that's noticeably more solid than the rest of your breast tissue.
Symptoms of Stage 3 breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, armpit or base of the neck, thickened, dimpled or ulcerated skin on the breast or a large red, swollen breast (this is called inflammatory breast cancer.
Stage 1 breast cancer means that the cancer is small and only in the breast tissue or it might be found in lymph nodes close to the breast. It is an early stage breast cancer. The stage of a cancer tells you how big it is and how far it has spread. It helps your doctor decide the best treatment for you.
All cancers begin as asymptomatic, and all tumors start so small they are undetectable. You can have breast cancer without knowing it for several years, depending on how quickly it starts, grows, and spreads.
And what feels mushy to one person might feel hard or solid to another.” Some breast cancers feel like distinct lumps or bumps in the tissue. Others feel like a “shelf” just beneath the skin. Some can be easily moved around under the surface.
Diagnostic mammogram: A procedure used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease has been found. More x-ray pictures of the breast are taken from different angles to allow an area of the breast to be examined more closely.
Your doctor may suggest that you have a guided needle biopsy, usually guided by ultrasound or X-ray, or sometimes MRI, to obtain a more precise and reliable diagnosis of cancer. This can also distinguish it from any non-invasive change, particularly ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Always let your primary care provider know if you notice a new or unusual lump, or other changes in your breasts. “It's not an emergency, but you'd want to see your doctor within a week or two,” Tuite said. Remember, most breast lumps are benign.
Signs of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Common locations and symptoms include: Bone: Symptoms can include a severe new bone pain that gradually becomes constant. Bone metastases can also cause fractures. Brain: Signs can include headaches, nausea, facial numbness and changes in speech, vision or balance.
Stage 4. More than 25 out of 100 women (more than 25%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed. The cancer is not curable at this point, but may be controlled with treatment for some years.
Overall survival rates
This would mean 90% of women diagnosed with stage I breast cancer survive at least 5 years beyond diagnosis. (Most of these women would live much longer than 5 years past their diagnoses.) Overall survival rates vary by breast cancer stage.
The most common symptom of breast cancer is a new lump or mass (although most breast lumps are not cancer). A painless, hard mass that has irregular edges is more likely to be cancer, but breast cancers can be also soft, round, tender, or even painful.
Some general symptoms that breast cancer may have spread include: Feeling constantly tired. Constant nausea (feeling sick) Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite.
Breast cancer occurs more frequently in the left breast than the right. The left breast is 5%-10% more likely to develop cancer than the right breast. No one knows why.
Fibroadenomas are solid, smooth, firm, noncancerous (benign) lumps that are most commonly found in women in their 20s and 30s. They are the most common benign lumps in women and can occur at any age. They are increasingly being seen in postmenopausal women who are taking hormone therapy.
Fibroadenomas are common in women in their 20s and 30s, although they can happen at any age. After menopause, they tend to shrink. These lumps tend to feel firm and rubbery and are made of glandular and connective tissue. They're a type of benign breast tumor, and they sometimes feel like a marble in the breast.
Lumps that are benign (not cancer) may be tender and feel smooth and mobile. A cancerous lump is more likely to feel hard, but some non-cancerous lumps can feel hard, too.