Breast cancer : Signs and symptoms

Breast cancer typically produces no symptoms when the tumor is small and most treatable. Therefore, it is important for women to follow recommended screening guidelines to detect breast cancer at an early stage. Larger tumors may become evident as a breast mass, which is often painless. Less common symptoms include persistent changes to the breast, such as thickening, swelling, distortion, tenderness, skin irritation, redness, scaliness, or nipple abnormalities, such as ulceration, retraction, or spontaneous discharge. Breast pain is more likely to be caused by benign conditions and is not a common early symptom of breast cancer. source:American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2013. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2013