Symptoms

The first symptom of breast cancer most people notice is a lump in their breast or some thickening.

Breast lump

The first symptom of breast cancer for many women is a lump in their breast. But 9 out of 10 breast lumps (90%) are benign. That means they are not cancers.
But if you spot a lump, see your doctor straight away.

Change in size, shape or feel of a breast

Your breast might look bigger or have a different shape than usual. It might feel different. Many healthy women find that their breasts feel lumpy and tender before their period.
Get to know the size, shape and feel of your breasts. See your doctor if you notice any changes or anything that is unusual for you.

Breast pain

Breast pain is very common and it’s not normally due to cancer. You might get pain in one or both breasts for a while, which goes after a time. There might be no obvious reason for this pain, even if you have a lot of tests.
See your doctor if you have breast pain.

Skin changes

Skin changes include puckering, dimpling, a rash, or redness of the skin of the breast.
The skin might look like orange peel or the texture might feel different. This can be caused by other breast conditions but get your doctor to check out anything that is not normal for you.

Change in the position of your nipple

One nipple might turn in or sink into the breast. It might look or feel different to usual.

Fluid leaking from your nipple

Fluid leaking from a nipple in a woman who isn't pregnant or breast feeding can be a sign of cancer. But it can also be caused by other medical conditions.
See your doctor if you have leakage from a nipple and you aren't pregnant or breast feeding.

Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms

A rare type of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer can have different symptoms to other types.

Your whole breast might look red and inflamed and feel sore. The breast might feel hard and the skin might look like orange peel.

See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.