Pain in the breast is rarely a sign of breast cancer, as this type of disease does not cause pain during its development, and this symptom is more frequent in very advanced cases when the tumor is already well developed.
Thus, in most cases, breast pain is caused by less serious situations such as:
- Hormonal changes, especially in the days before or during menstruation;
- Benign cysts, characterized by the presence of small nodules in the breast. See the symptoms here;
- Excess milk, in the case of women who are breastfeeding;
- Hormonal factors, especially during adolescence and the days before or during menstruation.
In addition, breast pain can also be a sign of pregnancy because this symptom is very common in the first trimester of pregnancy. That way, women who are trying to get pregnant or have a delay in menstruation should take a pregnancy test to confirm this possibility.
See also other common causes and what to do to relieve breast pain.
What to do when you feel pain in the breast
When you feel some type of pain in the breast you can do the breast self examination to look for the existence of nodules in the breast and if you identify any lump or the pain remains, you should go to an appointment with a mastologist, so he can examine the breast and, if necessary, order a mammogram.
Although cases of breast pain caused by cancer are rare, it is always important to go to the doctor because if it is the cause of the pain it is important to identify the cancer as soon as possible to facilitate the treatment and improve the chances of cure.
When breast pain may be a sign of cancer
Although in most cases the cancer does not cause any type of pain, there is a rare type known as Inflammatory breast cancer that can cause pain during development. However, this type of cancer also causes other characteristic symptoms such as discharge from the nipple, inverted nipple, swelling or redness.
Watch the following video and see how to correctly perform the breast self-examination, in order to see if there are other changes:
