Introduction
Most tumors in the breast do not cause pain in the early stages of the disease and are therefore diagnosed relatively late. For this reason, regular breast cancer check-ups are important in order to detect and treat breast cancer early. Pain that radiates into the armpit, shoulder and back is usually caused by metastatic tumor cells, which means that the disease has already spread in the body and is more advanced. Mostly, however, chest pain is not a sign of breast cancer, but has harmless causes.
What chest pain can be a sign of breast cancer?
A tumor in the breast normally causes no pain. Only in the more advanced stages of cancer can pain occur. This is usually a stabbing or burning pain.
The pain may not only occur in the breast but may also radiate into the armpit, arm or back. In most cases, pain in the breasts has other, often harmless causes, e.g. fluid-filled cysts that press on the surrounding tissue, or the breasts tighten up hormonally before menstruation. Inflammatory breast cancer is a special form of breast cancer in which burning pains in the breast occur.
In addition, typical signs of inflammation appear: the breast gland tissue is swollen, the breast is warm and reddened. In this disease, the tumor cells spread quickly through the lymphatic system in the body, this form of spreading is called lymphangiosis carcinomatosa. Inflammatory breast carcinoma is very rare, but it is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and has a correspondingly poor prognosis.
Pain in the arm can be a sign of breast cancer. There are many lymph nodes in the armpit, which are often palpably enlarged in the case of breast cancer and cause pain. This pain can radiate through the armpit into the entire arm.
In addition, swelling in the arm can occur on the affected side. Often, however, the pain in the arm also has other causes. Problems in the shoulder joint or muscle tension can cause pulling pain in the upper arm.
Often, nerve irritation is also responsible for the pain in the arm. If the pain is unclear and a serious illness is suspected, a doctor should always be consulted to clarify the symptoms. Especially breast cancer has a relatively favorable prognosis if diagnosed early and treated immediately.
There are lymph nodes in the armpit into which lymph from the breasts flows. In breast cancer, the lymph nodes in the armpit on the affected side are usually enlarged and swollen, causing pain. Palpable nodes in the armpits can cause pain and are often an indication of breast cancer.
Many patients report pain in the shoulder even before breast cancer has been diagnosed. The pain occurs between the shoulder blades in the area of the upper back and can be an early symptom of breast cancer. In advanced stages, tumor cells can detach from the breast cancer (metastasis) and attack the surrounding tissues.
Metastases often form in the spine and ribs. Patients describe the resulting bone pain as sharp or oppressive. The lymph nodes into which lymph flows from the breasts are located in the armpit, next to the chest muscle and above the collarbone.
Pain and swelling in the lymph nodes can be an indication of breast cancer and lymph node metastases. In many cases, however, the painful lymph nodes are caused by an infection or inflammation in the body. Breast cancer has various signs.
Besides palpable lumps, changes in the nipple and pain in the breast area, chronic back pain can also be a sign of breast cancer. Especially in the early stages, the tumor disease sometimes manifests itself through pain between the shoulder blades. In the advanced stage, metastases can form which affect the spine and lead to bone pain there.
Changes in the nipple are often a sign of breast cancer. However, painful nipples have in most cases harmless causes, such as inflammation of the mammary gland or stress.However, if other symptoms occur in addition, such as collection or secretion of blood from the nipple, a doctor should be consulted. This topic may also be of interest to you: Inflammation of the nipple
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