This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
Unconventional Breast Cancer Symptoms ¶
When Meghan Hall was diagnosed with breast cancer at 34, it wasn't because she felt a lump. Instead, she noticed green fluid leaking from her nipple.
According to preliminary research presented at the UK National Cancer Research Institute's 2016 conference, one in six women who discovered their cancer themselves caught it based on a less-obvious breast cancer symptom, like nipple abnormalities and weight loss.
These self-reported breast cancers highlight the importance of paying attention to any strange signs or symptoms, in addition to staying on top of mammograms and annual checkups.
1. Dimply, Scaly, Patchy, or Inflamed Skin ¶
Any unusual thickening, redness, rash, dimpling, or puckering of your breast skin, or around the nipple, should be checked out by your doctor.
2. Nipple Changes ¶
Only mannequins have perfect, pointy nipples. Real, human women have to deal with different colors and sizes, positions, textures, and hair.
Fortunately, all of these things are totally normal and not a problem as long as they're your normal. However, if your nipples change suddenly, going from pointy to fully or partially inverted, call your doctor stat.
3. Leaking Nipples ¶
Is there anything more alarming than having your breasts start squirting liquid when there's no baby involved?
Random discharge, especially if it's red or green or has an odor, can mean you have a problem, including cancer of the breast or the pituitary gland.
4. Painful Swelling ¶
Swollen and painful breasts are a pain—and while they're mainly due to hormonal changes, they can be linked to breast cancer.
It's all about the size and placement of the tumor, which can be responsible for a change in the size or shape of your breast, or cause of painful swelling.
5. Strange Tickling Sensation ¶
How your breasts feel internally can be just as important as how they feel on the outside.
Some women report feeling a sensation almost like they’re being “tickled from the inside,” their breast feels like it’s “buzzing” or “prickly” inside, or like their breast milk is “letting down” (when they’re not breastfeeding).
6. Increased Sensitivity ¶
Does wearing a bra suddenly irritate your nipples? Are your breasts so painful that you have to face away from the stream of water in the shower?
Breasts or nipples that become more sensitive than normal can be a sign of cancer.
7. Visible Veins ¶
Being able to see your veins on the surface of your breasts depends on a lot of things—skin color, amount of subcutaneous fat, pregnancy, genetics.
However, if you’ve never been able to see them before and now you can, or if they’ve suddenly become much bigger, darker, or more prominent, then it’s time to be concerned.
8. Itchy Nipples ¶
Sometimes the girls just need a good scratch, especially if you’re wearing a bra edged with lace or sequins.
However, if your nips are constantly itchy there’s a good possibility something else is up and you need to get them checked.
