Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBreast Cancer SymptomsDoes Breast Cancer Cause Pain?What Does Breast Cancer Feel Like?Metastatic Breast Cancer & PainWhat Other Conditions Cause Breast Pain?Does Breast Cancer Hurt in Men?When to See Your Healthcare ProviderFAQ
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Breast Cancer Symptoms
Does Breast Cancer Cause Pain?
What Does Breast Cancer Feel Like?
Metastatic Breast Cancer & Pain
What Other Conditions Cause Breast Pain?
Does Breast Cancer Hurt in Men?
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
FAQ
Breast cancer does not usually hurt. Research shows just 6% of people diagnosed with breast cancer report breast pain as a symptom.However, a rare type of cancer known as inflammatory breast cancer can cause breast pain.
Breast painis more likely due to hormone fluctuations from puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause. Other reasons your breast may hurt include fibrocystic breast changes or medication side effects.
This article discusses breast cancer and breast pain. It explains common symptoms of breast cancer and other reasons why your breasts hurt.
What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
Four out of five times, a breast lump is the primary symptom of breast cancer. Other symptoms of breast cancer include:
Breast pain is not typically asign of breast cancer.In fact, one study found that only 6% of women reported breast pain as their main symptom.
Abreast tumoris a hard clump of breast cancer cells that causes a lump in the breast. It does not usually cause pain unless the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters (almost 0.8 inches) in diameter. However, a tumor can be larger than 2 centimeters and still not cause pain.
A rare type of cancer known asinflammatory breast cancercan cause breast pain. This pain is usually unrelated to your menstrual cycle. Other signs of inflammatory breast cancer include redness, a rash, and severe itching.
Does Breast Pain Increase Breast Cancer Risk?Though it’s uncommon, some painful breast conditions may raise your risk of developing breast cancer. These include:Multiple or complex fibroadenomasRadial scarsPainful breast conditions that do not increase the risk of breast cancer include:Duct ectasiaSimplefibroadenomas
Does Breast Pain Increase Breast Cancer Risk?
Though it’s uncommon, some painful breast conditions may raise your risk of developing breast cancer. These include:Multiple or complex fibroadenomasRadial scarsPainful breast conditions that do not increase the risk of breast cancer include:Duct ectasiaSimplefibroadenomas
Though it’s uncommon, some painful breast conditions may raise your risk of developing breast cancer. These include:
Painful breast conditions that do not increase the risk of breast cancer include:
Breast cancer commonly feels like a hard, painless lump in the breast or armpit. While breast cancer does not normally hurt, when it does, the pain can feel like it is:
Breast cancer can be present long before it causes pain. If you have othersymptomsof breast cancer, consult your healthcare provider for aclinical breast exam.
Can Breast Cancer Pain Spread to Other Parts of the Body?
When breast cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is known as metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic breast cancer may also cause pain.
Cancer pain can be from a larger tumor—these are often over 2 centimeters in diameter—or pain in other regions of the body due to the spread of cancer. These types of pain are associated with metastatic breast cancer:
Breast pain, ormastalgia, is uncommon with breast cancer. Most of the time, breast pain happens along with yourmenstrual cycle, but it can also be linked to benign nonhormonal causes.
Other benign conditions that can cause breast pain include:
And even though the pain with these conditions can be troubling, it is not usually dangerous.
In addition, hormone-induced breast pain is also less likely to occur in men. If you are a man experiencing breast pain, play it safe.
Breast cancer does occur in men. In fact, 1 in every 100 breast cancer diagnoses in the United States is in a man.
It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider if you have breast pain from any cause. Even if it’s not due to cancer, many women find that breast pain decreases their quality of life.
In one study, 15% of women experienced breast pain at some time in their life that interfered with work and family activities.
Make sure to talk to your healthcare provider if you are experiencing any unusual discomfort.
Summary
Breast pain can be concerning, especially if it develops suddenly. While breast pain doesn’t often mean breast cancer, sometimes it may signal that something is not quite right.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhile back pain is not typically a symptom of breast cancer, if breast cancer metastasizes (spreads), it can cause back pain. A common site of breast cancer metastasis is the bones. If this occurs, it may cause back pain due to cancer in the spine or lower pelvis.The only way to find out whether your breast pain is a result of something serious is to see your healthcare provider. Your doctor will perform a clinical breast exam, order imaging tests, if necessary, and determine what may be causing the pain. Breast pain can have lots of different causes, many of them benign and temporary.Yes, anxiety and stress can cause painful breasts.Talk with your healthcare provider if you suspect stress or anxiety may be playing a role in your breast pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
While back pain is not typically a symptom of breast cancer, if breast cancer metastasizes (spreads), it can cause back pain. A common site of breast cancer metastasis is the bones. If this occurs, it may cause back pain due to cancer in the spine or lower pelvis.
The only way to find out whether your breast pain is a result of something serious is to see your healthcare provider. Your doctor will perform a clinical breast exam, order imaging tests, if necessary, and determine what may be causing the pain. Breast pain can have lots of different causes, many of them benign and temporary.
Yes, anxiety and stress can cause painful breasts.Talk with your healthcare provider if you suspect stress or anxiety may be playing a role in your breast pain.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koo MM, von Wagner C, Abel GA, McPhail S, Rubin GP, Lyratzopoulos G.Typical and atypical presenting symptoms of breast cancer and their associations with diagnostic intervals: Evidence from a national audit of cancer diagnosis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2017;48:140–146. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2017.04.010Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Breast pain.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What are the symptoms of breast cancer?National Breast Cancer Foundation.Breast Pain.Molckovsky A, Fitzgerald B, Freedman O, Heisey R, Clemons M.Approach to inflammatory breast cancer.Can Fam Physician. 2009;55(1):25-31.Yıldırım AC, Yıldız P, Yıldız M, Kahramanca Ş, Kargıcı H.Mastalgia-Cancer Relationship: A Prospective Study.J Breast Health. 2015;11(2):88–91. Published 2015 Apr 1. doi:10.5152/tjbh.2015.2492American Cancer Society.Duct ectasia.American Cancer Society.Fibroadenomas of the breast.Lee M, Owen W.My Breast Hurt. Should I be Worried?Society of Breast Imaging.InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Pain management in metastatic breast cancer.Cingam SR, Karanchi H. Cancer,Adrenal Metastasis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls PublishingRostami R, Mittal S, Rostami P, Tavassoli F, Jabbari B.Brain metastasis in breast cancer: a comprehensive literature review. J Neurooncol.Sanguinetti A, Polistena A, Lucchini R, et al.Male breast cancer, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment: Twenty years of experience in our Breast Unit.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2016;20S(Suppl):8–11. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2016.02.004Yılmaz EM, Çelik S, Arslan H, Değer D.Relation between mastalgia and anxiety in a region with high frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder. J Breast Health.Additional ReadingCrandall CJ, Aragaki AK, Cauley JA, et al.Breast tenderness and breast cancer risk in the estrogen plus progestin and estrogen-alone women’s health initiative clinical trials.Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2012. 132(1):275-85. doi:10.1007/s10549-011-1848-9McCann B, MIaskowski C, Koetters T, et al.Associations between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes and breast pain in women prior to breast cancer surgery.The Journal of Pain. 2012. 13(5):425-37. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2011.02.358National Cancer Institute. Inflammatory Breast Cancer.https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/ibc-fact-sheet
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koo MM, von Wagner C, Abel GA, McPhail S, Rubin GP, Lyratzopoulos G.Typical and atypical presenting symptoms of breast cancer and their associations with diagnostic intervals: Evidence from a national audit of cancer diagnosis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2017;48:140–146. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2017.04.010Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Breast pain.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What are the symptoms of breast cancer?National Breast Cancer Foundation.Breast Pain.Molckovsky A, Fitzgerald B, Freedman O, Heisey R, Clemons M.Approach to inflammatory breast cancer.Can Fam Physician. 2009;55(1):25-31.Yıldırım AC, Yıldız P, Yıldız M, Kahramanca Ş, Kargıcı H.Mastalgia-Cancer Relationship: A Prospective Study.J Breast Health. 2015;11(2):88–91. Published 2015 Apr 1. doi:10.5152/tjbh.2015.2492American Cancer Society.Duct ectasia.American Cancer Society.Fibroadenomas of the breast.Lee M, Owen W.My Breast Hurt. Should I be Worried?Society of Breast Imaging.InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Pain management in metastatic breast cancer.Cingam SR, Karanchi H. Cancer,Adrenal Metastasis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls PublishingRostami R, Mittal S, Rostami P, Tavassoli F, Jabbari B.Brain metastasis in breast cancer: a comprehensive literature review. J Neurooncol.Sanguinetti A, Polistena A, Lucchini R, et al.Male breast cancer, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment: Twenty years of experience in our Breast Unit.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2016;20S(Suppl):8–11. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2016.02.004Yılmaz EM, Çelik S, Arslan H, Değer D.Relation between mastalgia and anxiety in a region with high frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder. J Breast Health.Additional ReadingCrandall CJ, Aragaki AK, Cauley JA, et al.Breast tenderness and breast cancer risk in the estrogen plus progestin and estrogen-alone women’s health initiative clinical trials.Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2012. 132(1):275-85. doi:10.1007/s10549-011-1848-9McCann B, MIaskowski C, Koetters T, et al.Associations between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes and breast pain in women prior to breast cancer surgery.The Journal of Pain. 2012. 13(5):425-37. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2011.02.358National Cancer Institute. Inflammatory Breast Cancer.https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/ibc-fact-sheet
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Koo MM, von Wagner C, Abel GA, McPhail S, Rubin GP, Lyratzopoulos G.Typical and atypical presenting symptoms of breast cancer and their associations with diagnostic intervals: Evidence from a national audit of cancer diagnosis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2017;48:140–146. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2017.04.010Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Breast pain.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What are the symptoms of breast cancer?National Breast Cancer Foundation.Breast Pain.Molckovsky A, Fitzgerald B, Freedman O, Heisey R, Clemons M.Approach to inflammatory breast cancer.Can Fam Physician. 2009;55(1):25-31.Yıldırım AC, Yıldız P, Yıldız M, Kahramanca Ş, Kargıcı H.Mastalgia-Cancer Relationship: A Prospective Study.J Breast Health. 2015;11(2):88–91. Published 2015 Apr 1. doi:10.5152/tjbh.2015.2492American Cancer Society.Duct ectasia.American Cancer Society.Fibroadenomas of the breast.Lee M, Owen W.My Breast Hurt. Should I be Worried?Society of Breast Imaging.InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Pain management in metastatic breast cancer.Cingam SR, Karanchi H. Cancer,Adrenal Metastasis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls PublishingRostami R, Mittal S, Rostami P, Tavassoli F, Jabbari B.Brain metastasis in breast cancer: a comprehensive literature review. J Neurooncol.Sanguinetti A, Polistena A, Lucchini R, et al.Male breast cancer, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment: Twenty years of experience in our Breast Unit.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2016;20S(Suppl):8–11. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2016.02.004Yılmaz EM, Çelik S, Arslan H, Değer D.Relation between mastalgia and anxiety in a region with high frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder. J Breast Health.
Koo MM, von Wagner C, Abel GA, McPhail S, Rubin GP, Lyratzopoulos G.Typical and atypical presenting symptoms of breast cancer and their associations with diagnostic intervals: Evidence from a national audit of cancer diagnosis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2017;48:140–146. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2017.04.010
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Breast pain.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
National Breast Cancer Foundation.Breast Pain.
Molckovsky A, Fitzgerald B, Freedman O, Heisey R, Clemons M.Approach to inflammatory breast cancer.Can Fam Physician. 2009;55(1):25-31.
Yıldırım AC, Yıldız P, Yıldız M, Kahramanca Ş, Kargıcı H.Mastalgia-Cancer Relationship: A Prospective Study.J Breast Health. 2015;11(2):88–91. Published 2015 Apr 1. doi:10.5152/tjbh.2015.2492
American Cancer Society.Duct ectasia.
American Cancer Society.Fibroadenomas of the breast.
Lee M, Owen W.My Breast Hurt. Should I be Worried?Society of Breast Imaging.
InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Pain management in metastatic breast cancer.
Cingam SR, Karanchi H. Cancer,Adrenal Metastasis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing
Rostami R, Mittal S, Rostami P, Tavassoli F, Jabbari B.Brain metastasis in breast cancer: a comprehensive literature review. J Neurooncol.
Sanguinetti A, Polistena A, Lucchini R, et al.Male breast cancer, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment: Twenty years of experience in our Breast Unit.Int J Surg Case Rep. 2016;20S(Suppl):8–11. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2016.02.004
Yılmaz EM, Çelik S, Arslan H, Değer D.Relation between mastalgia and anxiety in a region with high frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder. J Breast Health.
Crandall CJ, Aragaki AK, Cauley JA, et al.Breast tenderness and breast cancer risk in the estrogen plus progestin and estrogen-alone women’s health initiative clinical trials.Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2012. 132(1):275-85. doi:10.1007/s10549-011-1848-9McCann B, MIaskowski C, Koetters T, et al.Associations between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes and breast pain in women prior to breast cancer surgery.The Journal of Pain. 2012. 13(5):425-37. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2011.02.358National Cancer Institute. Inflammatory Breast Cancer.https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/ibc-fact-sheet
Crandall CJ, Aragaki AK, Cauley JA, et al.Breast tenderness and breast cancer risk in the estrogen plus progestin and estrogen-alone women’s health initiative clinical trials.Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2012. 132(1):275-85. doi:10.1007/s10549-011-1848-9
McCann B, MIaskowski C, Koetters T, et al.Associations between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes and breast pain in women prior to breast cancer surgery.The Journal of Pain. 2012. 13(5):425-37. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2011.02.358
National Cancer Institute. Inflammatory Breast Cancer.https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/ibc-fact-sheet
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