While skin lumps and bumps have been a standard technique of diagnosing breast cancer, with practitioners using the symptom to establish suspiciousness, other manifestations can also lead to malignancy. For example, despite being reported in a small percentage of women, changes in the appearance of the skin above the breast to orange-peel coloring should signal the need for immediate medical intervention (Callen, Jorizzo, Bolognia, Piette & Zone, 2009). While breasts are naturally lumpy, with one boob being more prominent than the other and size changing as one matures, women should be conscious of their distinct physiology, since the early stages of malignancy can be symptomized by a drastic reshaping. Another atypicality of cancer is an extended period of breast thickening after periods, a condition that results in notable symmetrical alteration.
Another anomalous sign of breast cancer is inflammation and unexplained pain emanating from the armpit and collarbone. The discomfort is commonly misinterpreted as cervical adenopathy. According to Fraser, Laurence, Matthew, Elizabeth & Lipschik (2007) the peculiarity is an underlying factor in a growing concern of late breast cancer diagnosis, where cases are misdiagnosed as the changes in the number and size of lymph nodes is classically considered a symptom of generalized or benign local infection, and not malignancy.
Nipple discharge is also an unwonted manifestation, where a bloodstained gush outpours from the breast without any pressure being applied. Cancerous developments can also cause the mammilla of the breast to retract and change direction, position, and size (Ikeda & Miyake, 2016). The rash is also a rare sign of cancer, where the skin around the areola of the breast changes appearance, color, and texture. The localized irritation should call for a thermograph, as the chapping and blistering can be a sign of angiogenesis associated with uncontrollably dividing cells.
References
Callen, J. P., Jorizzo, J. L., Bolognia, J. L., Piette, W., & Zone, J. J. (2009). Dermatological Signs of Internal Disease E-Book: Expert Consult-Online and Print. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Fraser, V. J., Laurence, B. M., Matthew, P.M., Elizabeth, L. M., & Lipschik, G. Y. (2007). Diseases and disorders. Marshall Cavendish.
Ikeda, D., & Miyake, K. K. (2016). Breast Imaging: The Requisites E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.
