Sudden breast size changes are often due to normal hormonal shifts from your menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or menopause, causing swelling or tenderness, but can also stem from significant weight fluctuations, infections (like mastitis), medications (like HRT), or underlying masses (benign or cancerous). While most changes are benign, persistent or significant changes, especially with redness, skin puckering, or a new lump, warrant a doctor's visit to rule out serious conditions like inflammatory breast cancer or fibrocystic changes, say Jean Hailes and the National Cancer Institute.
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer include: A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit. A change to the skin, such as puckering or dimpling. A change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look darker, red or inflamed.
The "three-finger test" for breasts refers to the technique used in a breast self-exam (BSE) where you use the pads of your three middle fingers (index, middle, ring) to feel for lumps or changes, applying light, medium, and firm pressure to cover all breast tissue and the armpit, moving in circular or vertical patterns to detect new lumps or thickening. This method, often done while lying down or showering, helps you become familiar with your normal breast texture, but it's a supplement to, not a replacement for, regular clinical exams and mammograms for early detection.
The 5 key warning signs of breast cancer often involve changes like a new lump or thickening, a change in breast size or shape, skin changes such as dimpling or redness, nipple changes like inversion or discharge, and persistent pain or swelling in the breast or armpit, though many symptoms can overlap, and you should see a doctor for any new or unusual breast change.
Redness or another change in the skin color of the breast, swelling on one side and/or a rash that appears quickly — sometimes literally overnight — are the hallmark symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer.
The most common sign of breast cancer is a lump or mass. It is usually hard, painless, and has uneven edges. Some lumps, however, can be soft and rounded. If you find one we recommend you contact your physician — a primary care doctor or a gynecologist — to have the lump evaluated.
The "2-week rule" for breast cancer (and other cancers) is a UK-based initiative, now largely replaced or evolved, that aimed to get patients with suspected cancer seen by a specialist within two weeks of a GP referral to speed up diagnosis, reduce anxiety, and improve outcomes, although it led to increased urgent referrals and longer waits for non-urgent cases. It required urgent referral if certain suspicious symptoms (like persistent breast changes, nipple issues, or a lump) were present, ensuring quick specialist assessment and investigation, though it's important to remember most lumps are benign.
Redness, rash or blotchiness of the breast. Some women report that it looks like a bug bite. Pain and/or soreness of the breast. Lump, thickening or dimpling of the skin of the breast.
These lifestyle choices, including smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating poorly may all raise your risk. Regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight are effective methods to lower your risk. This disease may also arise as a result of certain birth control methods and hormone replacement therapy.
The older a woman is, the more likely she is to get breast cancer. Rates of breast cancer are low in women under 40. About 4% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. are younger than 40 [6]. Rates begin to increase after age 40 and are highest in women over age 70 (see Figure 2.1 below).
New alternatives and enhancements to mammograms include 3D Mammography (Tomosynthesis), which is now standard, and emerging technologies like AI-enhanced MRI, Contrast-Enhanced Mammography (CEM), Photoacoustic Tomography (PACT), and Cone-Beam Breast CT (CBBCT), offering better detection, especially for dense breasts, by providing more detailed images, highlighting blood flow, or reducing discomfort and radiation, though many are still in development or used as supplemental tools.
In most women, one breast is almost always slightly larger than the other. This is natural and common. But a sudden, persistent enlargement of one breast — especially if you haven't recently gained weight and you're not pregnant — may be a sign of breast cancer.
Your left thumb should be in front of your breast. Gently pinch your breasts between your thumb and middle fingers. If that point is above the nipple, you pass and may not require a breast lift procedure. If you pinch your breast below the nipple, you fail and may require a breast lift.
Hormones can also affect cyclical breast pain due to stress. Breast pain can increase or change its pattern with the hormone changes that happen during times of stress. Hormones may not provide the total answer to cyclical breast pain. That's because the pain is often more severe in one breast than in the other.
What are the symptoms of benign breast disease?
Breast Care Specialist. Generally, when something has changed in a patient's breast, all roads lead to a breast care specialist. After an internal medicine doctor or gynecologist discovers something abnormal in a patient's breast, they refer the patient to a breast specialist for a diagnosis.
Who is more likely to get breast cancer
About 90% of cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, not genetics, including smoking, poor diet (red meat, fried foods), alcohol, sun exposure, pollutants, infections, obesity, and inactivity; only 5–10% are due to inherited genetic defects, with most cancers arising from lifestyle-induced genetic mutations. Tobacco alone accounts for about a third of cancer deaths, while diet, obesity, and inactivity contribute significantly, with controllable factors being key to prevention.
The earliest stage of breast cancer, Stage 0 is non-invasive, meaning it hasn't spread outside of its original location in the breast tissue, and is highly treatable when detected early. If left undetected or untreated, however, it can spread into surrounding breast tissue.
Symptoms (beyond lumps) to look for include:
5 little-known breast cancer facts
Instead, signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include:
The 62-day rule for cancer, primarily in the UK's NHS system, is a key waiting time target: patients who receive an urgent referral for suspected cancer should begin their first cancer treatment within 62 days from the date the hospital gets that referral. It's part of broader standards that also include a 28-day "Faster Diagnosis" goal (diagnosis or ruling out cancer within 28 days of urgent referral) and a 31-day "Decision to Treat" standard (treatment within 31 days of the agreed-upon plan).
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 30% of women initially diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will ultimately develop Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer, often months or years later.
Here are some unusual or uncommon signs of breast cancer to be aware of: