Does breast cancer cause pain?

Breast pain is not a common sign of breast cancer, if it occurs it only occurs in one breast or a few locations when the cancer has metastasized.

Breast pain can be caused by many things, such as hormonal fluctuations during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, fibroids, or side effects of medications. However, breast cancer is usually painless.

According to a 2017 study by the University of Exeter, UK and several other units, on more than 2,300 breast cancer patients, only 6% of patients had symptoms of breast pain. The most common symptom was a breast mass at 83%, followed by breast abnormalities at 7% and symptoms unrelated to the breast, such as back pain at 1%, weight loss at about 0.3%, and the rest were other symptoms.

Researchers say breast pain is not a common sign of breast cancer. Breast lumps are hard lumps that only cause pain if they are larger than 2 cm in diameter. In many cases, tumors larger than 2 cm still do not cause pain.

Most breast pain is related to the menstrual cycle or a benign condition. Photo: Freepik — Most breast pain is related to the menstrual cycle or a benign condition. Photo: *Freepik*

Most breast pain occurs during the menstrual cycle. It is also associated with benign non-hormonal causes such as blocked milk ducts, cysts, and fibroadenomas. Some conditions that cause breast pain, such as complex fibroadenoma, radial scarring, duct ectasia, and simple fibroadenomas, increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

A rare type of cancer called inflammatory breast cancer can cause breast pain. This pain is usually unrelated to the menstrual cycle. Other signs include redness, rash, and severe itching.

Breast cancer can be present long before it causes pain. If pain occurs, it is usually only in one breast or another specific location in the body because the tumor has spread or metastasized to another part of the body.

Back pain accompanied by leg weakness or bone pain may be due to a malignant tumor in the chest that has spread to the bones. Dull back pain is a sign that breast cancer has spread to the adrenal glands. Headaches warn that the tumor has spread to the brain. Pain in the upper right abdomen is sometimes a sign that cancer has spread to the liver. This condition is often accompanied by jaundice.

Breast cancer in men is also usually painless. Hormonal breast pain is rare in men.

Warning signs of this type of cancer include sunken breast skin, inverted nipples, non-milky fluid containing blood, swelling of part of the breast, lumps in the armpit... Women should see a doctor if they experience breast pain or unusual symptoms in the breast.

Mai Cat (According to Very Well Health )

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