breast cancer symptoms

 Initially, breast cancer may not cause any symptoms. A lump may be too small for you to feel or to cause any unusual changes you can notice on your own. Often, an abnormal area turns up on a screening mammogram (x-ray of the breast), which leads to further testing.

In some cases, however, the first sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast that you or your doctor can feel. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer. But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to have anything unusual checked by your doctor.

Reported breast cancer symptoms include:

1. discharge from the nipple(clear or bloody)
2. persistent tenderness of the breast
3. pain in the nipple
4. swelling or mass in the armpit (lymph nodes)
5. inverted or scaly nipples
6. a lump that can be felt, no matter how small
7. swelling of all or part of the breast
8. skin irritation or dimpling
9. breast pain
10. the nipple turning inward
11. redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
12. a nipple discharge other than breast milk
13. a lump in the underarm are

Sometimes there are no symptoms of breast cancer when it is in the early stages. If you notice a lump, or are experiencing anything unusual, you must report the symptoms to your doctor as soon as possible. Performing a monthly self breast exam is the one of the best ways to notice any changes in your breasts.