Not everybody with breast cancer develops a noticeable lump in their breast. That’s why knowing the number-one sign of breast cancer—especially the top sign you may notice beyond a lump—is so critical to getting the early treatment you need.
“Early detection is so important with breast cancer because early-stage breast cancer is highly treatable and highly curable,” Tara Olson, M.D., an ob/gyn and physician manager at Simmonds, Martin & Helmbrecht of Advantia in Frederick, MD, previously told Prevention. How treatable is highly treatable? Per the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for cancer that has not spread outside the breast is over 99%.
Meet the experts: Tara Olson, M.D., an ob/gyn and physician manager at Simmonds, Martin & Helmbrecht of Advantia in Frederick, MD; Amy Bremner, M.D., the medical director of breast surgical oncology at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA.
While the telltale sign of breast cancer is technically a lump in the breast, “one in six women with breast cancer will present with a symptom other than a palpable mass,” Amy Bremner, M.D., the medical director of breast surgical oncology at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, has explained. That’s why knowing the other sneaky signs of breast cancer is so important. The biggest one that should warrant an appointment with your physician, according to Dr. Olson, is dimpling or an orange peel-like appearance to the skin of the breast. “Those are almost always breast cancer,” she adds.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these skin changes are often a sign of inflammatory breast cancer, a type of breast cancer that does not commonly present with a lump. For this reason, it is easily confused with a breast infection that would be treated with antibiotics—but if the antibiotics don’t help, additional testing is likely needed. Inflammatory breast cancer is considered a locally advanced cancer, meaning that it has spread from where it started to nearby breast tissue, making immediate diagnosis and treatment that much more crucial.
All that said, remember that you know your body best—if you notice something amiss, trust your gut. “Really any changes to your breast are worth calling your doctor about,” says Dr. Olson. “I always tell my patients that if something doesn’t look right or feel right to you or your partner, please schedule an appointment with your gynecologist or primary care provider.”
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