Types and symptoms
| Color | Possible cause |
|---|---|
| green | cysts |
| brown or cheese-like | mammary duct ectasia (blocked milk duct) |
| clear | breast cancer, especially if only coming from one breast papilloma |
| bloody | papilloma breast cancer |
In this post
What does discharge look like with breast cancer?
Nipple discharge (ND) can be the earliest presenting symptom of breast cancer. We hereby present two cases of breast cancer with no palpable mass manifesting as isolated ND, which was whitish in color. In both cases, cytology of the discharge revealed highly pleomorphic cells indicating a high grade malignancy.
What color is abnormal breast discharge?
Both abnormal and normal nipple discharge can be clear, yellow, white, or green in color. Normal nipple discharge more commonly occurs in both nipples and is often released when the nipples are compressed or squeezed. Some women who are concerned about breast secretions may actually cause it to worsen.
Does breast cancer have discharge?
Breast cancer is an uncommon cause of nipple discharge. Less than 5% of women with breast cancer have nipple discharge, and most of these women have other symptoms, such as a lump or newly inverted nipple, as well as the nipple discharge.
What does abnormal breast discharge look like?
Nipple discharge may look milky, clear, yellow, green, brown or bloody. Discharge that isn’t milk comes out of your nipple through the same ducts that carry milk. The discharge can involve a single duct or multiple ducts. The consistency of nipple discharge can vary — it may be thick and sticky or thin and watery.
What are the 5 warning signs of breast cancer?
What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
- New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
- Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
- Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
- Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
- Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
What does the pain feel like when you have breast cancer?
Breast or nipple pain
Although breast cancer is often painless, it is important not to ignore any signs or symptoms that could be due to breast cancer. Some people may describe the pain as a burning and tender sensation. Learn more about what breast cancer feels like here.
How much breast discharge is normal?
Each breast has several (15 to 20) milk ducts. A discharge can come from one or more of these ducts. Nipple discharge can occur normally during the last weeks of pregnancy and after childbirth when breast milk is produced.
Do breast cysts cause discharge?
Signs and symptoms of a breast cyst include: A smooth, easily movable round or oval lump that may have smooth edges — which typically, though not always, indicates it’s benign. Nipple discharge that may be clear, yellow, straw colored or dark brown. Breast pain or tenderness in the area of the breast lump.
What is early stage breast cancer?
Early-stage breast cancer is breast cancer that hasn’t spread to other parts of your body. That means it’s just in your breasts or nearby lymph nodes. This includes stage 0 ductal carcinoma (cancer of your milk ducts) and stages I-IIIa. There are really good ways to fight early-stage breast cancer.
What causes yellowish discharge from the breast?
Thick or sticky discharge that is green, greenish brown or reddish brown may be caused by a non-cancerous condition called mammary duct ectasia. Yellow and foul-smelling pus may be caused by a breast infection. Milky white discharge from both breasts may be caused by some medicines or endocrine gland problems.
What is the first red flag of breast cancer?
Warm, red, irritated and/or itchy breasts: These conditions are among the most common early warning signs of inflammatory breast cancer. Nipple discharge: With the exception of breast milk, which may leak from breasts during or after pregnancy, any nipple discharge should be checked by a doctor.
Is breast cancer more common in left breast?
The left breast is 5 – 10% more likely to develop cancer than the right breast. The left side of the body is also roughly 5% more prone to melanoma (a type of skin cancer).
How long can you have breast cancer without knowing?
Breast cancer has to divide 30 times before it can be felt. Up to the 28th cell division, neither you nor your doctor can detect it by hand. With most breast cancers, each division takes one to two months, so by the time you can feel a cancerous lump, the cancer has been in your body for two to five years.
Does breast cancer show up in blood tests?
Blood tests are not used to diagnose breast cancer, but they can help to get a sense of a person’s overall health. For example, they can be used to help determine if a person is healthy enough to have surgery or certain types of chemotherapy.
Where does breast cancer spread first?
The lymph nodes under your arm, inside your breast, and near your collarbone are among the first places breast cancer spreads. It’s “metastatic” if it spreads beyond these small glands to other parts of your body.
How can I be sure I don’t have cancer?
What are some general signs and symptoms of cancer?
- Fatigue or extreme tiredness that doesn’t get better with rest.
- Weight loss or gain of 10 pounds or more for no known reason.
- Eating problems such as not feeling hungry, trouble swallowing, belly pain, or nausea and vomiting.
- Swelling or lumps anywhere in the body.
When I squeeze my breast does fluid come out?
Fluid leaking from one or both nipples when you are not breastfeeding is called nipple discharge. Clear, cloudy, or white discharge that appears only when you press on your nipple is usually normal. The more the nipple is pressed or stimulated, the more fluid appears.
What can cause breast discharge?
Additional causes of nipple discharge include:
- abscess (severe breast infection)
- breast infection.
- endocrine (hormone) disorder.
- excessive nipple stimulation.
- fibrocystic (irregular cysts) breasts.
- injury or trauma history to the breasts.
- mammary duct ectasia (milk duct under the nipple thickens and becomes wide)
How fast does breast cancer spread?
On average, breast cancers double in size every 180 days, or about every 6 months. Still, the rate of growth for any specific cancer will depend on many factors.
What is the easiest breast cancer to cure?
Ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS
The cancer cells have not spread through the walls of the ducts into the nearby breast tissue. Nearly all women with DCIS can be cured.