Breast Cancer Signs and Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists these warning signs. Any one of them is a reason to book a visit:

The CDC is clear on two points that are easy to miss. These symptoms can happen with conditions that are not cancer, and some people have no signs or symptoms at all.

Finding a lump is frightening. The American Cancer Society notes that a new lump or mass is the most common symptom of breast cancer, and also that most breast lumps are not cancer. That is a reason for calm, not for waiting: the only way to know what a lump is, is to have it examined and, when needed, imaged.

Breast tissue also changes through the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and around menopause. What matters is a change that is new for you or that does not go away.

The American Cancer Society says that breast self-exams and clinical breast exams are not sufficient for screening and are unlikely to find breast cancer early in people at average risk. What it does say is that you should be familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel, and report any change to a health care provider right away.

In practice that means paying attention, not following a routine. If something looks or feels different, that is enough of a reason to call.

Do not wait for your next scheduled mammogram. A new symptom is looked at differently from routine screening: your provider examines the area and usually orders a diagnostic mammogram, an ultrasound, or both. These are more detailed than a screening mammogram and are aimed at the specific concern.

At Innovare Tx we do not perform mammograms in our office. We examine the concern, help you arrange the right imaging at an imaging center, and go over the results with you. See what a screening visit with us covers.