If you think you might have breast cancer, you should see a doctor immediately. Some of the symptoms of breast cancer that may manifest are a lump in the breast, redness and swelling of the breast, lump or swelling in the arm pit, inverted nipple, clear or bloody discharge from the breast, pain in the nipple, tenderness in the breast, pitted skin on or around the nipple, puckering of the skin of the breast, or there may be no symptoms at all.

If you have any of these symptoms, listed above, you should see your doctor immediately. You also should be doing monthly breast self-exams. You should know what your breasts feel like from month to month, so that you can notice any changes that may occur. It is also important, if you are 40 years old and above, to have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years, and your doctor should do a clinical breast exam on you as part of your yearly physical. The remainder of this article will discuss some common symptoms of breast cancer that could also be symptoms of other breast issues.

Woman should not assume they do have breast cancer, and they shouldn’t assume they do have it either. If there is any question about breast health, women should see their health care professional. A lump in the breast could be a sign of cancer, but it could also be a sign of a cyst. A breast cyst usually forms in one of the lobules in the breast. A lobule is the place where milk is produced. The lobule can fill with fluid and it becomes a cyst. There could also be an infection in the cyst, which fills the cyst will purulent liquid.

Redness and swelling in the breast could be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer, but it could also be a sign of mastitis. Mastitis could manifest with tenderness in the breast; you could have a fever over 101 Fahrenheit or higher. You could feel tired and just want to lie around. You may also have an infection in the breast ducts and lobules with mastitis. Some of these symptoms could mimic the signs of breast cancer.

Leaking from the breast, if it is clear, white, or yellow can be caused by an increased level of the hormone, prolactin, which is produced in the pituitary gland. Increased prolactin levels can be induced by some antidepressants, and sedating medications. If your breast is leaking a bloody discharge, this could be a sign of breast cancer or it could be from an abscess or a breast infection. If you are leaking bloody, clear, white, green or yellow discharge out of one breast and not the other, or if you are only leaking from one opening in the nipple and not the others you should see your doctor immediately. This could be a sign of breast cancer or a very bad infection.

An inverted nipple could be a sign of breast cancer, but it could also be normal. Some women normally have inverted nipples. However, if your nipples don’t normally invert, and have suddenly or gradually inverted, this could be a sign of mastitis, a breast abscess, or you might have had trauma to the breast. There are other causes of nipple inversion not related to cancer. If your nipples have inverted recently for no known cause, you should have your breasts checked by your health care professional.

A lump in the arm pit could be a sign of breast cancer, but it also could be an infected lymph node. Sometimes lymph nodes under the arm swell up when women are menstruating. Sometimes women and men get lumps in their arm pits, and sometimes it is caused by an infection, and sometimes it is caused by using certain antiperspirants.

There could be a host of symptoms that one might fear is cancer. If you have symptoms that could be cancer, or could be an infection of some kind, or if you notice a change in your breasts, you should see your doctor. If your nipples were never inverted before, and they are now inverted, there may be an underlying medical reason for it. It is better to make a trip to the doctor and find out you don’t have an illness, than to ignore the symptoms and find out later you have cancer or some other illness.

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