Breast pain is rarely a sign of breast cancer, as in this type of disease pain is not a very common symptom during the early stages, and it is only more frequent in very advanced cases, when the tumor is already quite developed.
Thus, in most cases, breast pain is caused by less serious situations such as:
- Hormonal changes: especially during puberty and in the days leading up or during menstruation; Benign cysts: characterized by the presence of small nodules in the sinus. See more about breast cyst symptoms; Excess milk: in the case of women who are breastfeeding.
In addition, breast pain can also be a sign of pregnancy because this symptom is very common in the first trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, women who are trying to conceive or who have a delay in menstruation should have a pregnancy test to confirm this possibility.
In other cases, pain may also be caused by the use of some types of medication, some examples of which include Methyldopa, Spironolactone, Oxymetholone or Chlorpromazine.
See other common causes and what to do to relieve breast pain.
What to do when you feel breast pain
When you feel any kind of pain in the breast, you can do the breast self-examination to look for the existence of lumps in the breast and, if a lump is identified or the pain remains, you should go to a consultation with a mastologist, so that 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 gynecologist, because if this is the cause of the pain it is important to identify the cancer as soon as possible to facilitate treatment and improve the chances of a cure.
Watch the following video and see how to properly perform the breast self-examination:
When breast pain can be a sign of cancer
Although in most cases cancer does not cause any 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.
Anyway, this type of cancer can also be identified by the tests used to explore improving the cause of pain, such as mammography, and, therefore, in case of breast pain it is always important to consult a gynecologist.
