Open sores on breast

Is Your Rash a Breast Infection or Inflammatory Breast Cancer?

Written by Stephanie Booth

Medically Reviewed by Kumar Shital, DO on March 19, 2021

• Infection
• Skin Conditions
• More Serious Conditions
• What to Do for a Breast Rash
• When to See a Doctor

If your breast looks red or swollen, there’s no need to panic. A tender area or rash on your breast often signals a common problem like an infection. In other cases, it's a symptom of a common, treatable skin condition.

Rarely, a rash and soreness can be signs of inflammatory breast cancer, a form of the disease that can grow quickly, often in weeks or months.

Here’s how you can tell what's going on.

Infection

Infected breast tissue, also called mastitis, is most common in women who are nursing. It can happen when milk gets trapped in your breast. You might also get it if something clogs one of your milk ducts or bacteria get into your breast through a cracked nipple.

Mastitis often happens within the first 6 to 12 weeks after you give birth, but sometimes women who aren’t breastfeeding get it, too.

If you have mastitis, your symptoms may come on without warning. Common signs include:

• Tender, warm, or swollen breasts
• A red patch of skin, often in a wedge shape
• Pain or burning when you breastfeed
• A fever of 101 F or higher
• Chills

Skin Conditions

There are several common skin conditions that can put a rash on your breast, like:

Hives. Red, itchy welts on your skin that often result from an allergy

Psoriasis. Scaly, itchy patches of skin that show up when your immune system goes haywire and attacks your body

Scabies. Bites from the human itch mite. They form a line of little bumps on your skin and get really itchy at night

Shingles. Painful, itchy blisters that result from the same virus that causes chickenpox

Yeast. This fungus lives on your skin. When too much grows, it can lead to an itchy rash in places where skin touches skin.

Intertrigo. It happens when the skin under your breast rubs together too much. It can trap moisture and create friction. Besides a red or brown rash, your skin may swell and itch. It may have a funny smell.

Nipple eczema. It can lead to a rash around one or both of your nipples. The skin around them may get dry and scaly, or you could have a rash that feels moist to the touch. You may notice a burning feeling if you’re nursing. Nipple eczema often affects women about 5 to 6 months after giving birth.

More Serious Conditions

Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms result from a buildup of fluid in your breast. Many women don’t feel a lump. Instead, you may notice a rash that looks like an insect bite.

You could also have:

• Itching that doesn’t go away
• A nipple that goes inward or gets flat
• Swelling and redness that affect at least a third of your breast
• Pink, purple-red, or bruised skin
• Skin that looks ridged or pitted like an orange peel
• A sudden increase in breast size
• Breast tenderness or a “heavy” feeling
• Swollen lymph nodes under your arm or near your collarbone

Paget’s disease is a rare skin disorder that’s often linked to breast cancer in the tissues behind your nipple. It can cause a red, scaly rash. You could also have discharge or bleeding from your nipple.

What to Do for a Breast Rash

If you notice a change in your breasts, try not to worry. Because the hormones in your body are constantly changing, so are your breasts. Many of these differences aren’t cause for concern.

It can help to:

Avoid scratching. This will only make your rash worse.

Take a warm bath, or place a warm washcloth over your breast. This may help soothe your skin.

Look for a cause. Did you try a new perfume or laundry detergent? Stop using any recently added products and see if your rash improves.

When to See a Doctor

Signs that you should call your doctor right away include:

• Fever
• Intense pain
• Red streaks coming from your breast
• Yellow or green pus
• Open sores

You should also see your doctor if any symptoms get worse. They’ll do an exam to figure out what’s causing your rash so they can prescribe the best treatment. Some simple rashes go away quickly with a special cream.

If you do have a breast infection, you’ll need antibiotics. Make sure you finish all your medicine, even if you start feeling better right away.

Unless your doctor suggests otherwise, you won’t need to stop nursing. Try to fully empty your breasts so you’re less likely to get an abscess -- a pocket of pus that may need draining.

Drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest to help your body fight off a breast infection.

Your doctor may want you to get a mammogram. This can give them a better idea of what’s going on inside your breast.

If your symptoms don’t clear up soon, your doctor may also want to do a biopsy. They’ll remove a small piece of your breast tissue and look closely at it under a microscope.

Is Your Rash a Breast Infection or Inflammatory Breast Cancer?

Written by Stephanie Booth

Medically Reviewed by Kumar Shital, DO on March 19, 2021

• Infection
• Skin Conditions
• More Serious Conditions
• What to Do for a Breast Rash
• When to See a Doctor

If your breast looks red or swollen, there’s no need to panic. A tender area or rash on your breast often signals a common problem like an infection. In other cases, it's a symptom of a common, treatable skin condition.

Rarely, a rash and soreness can be signs of inflammatory breast cancer, a form of the disease that can grow quickly, often in weeks or months.

Here’s how you can tell what's going on.

Infection

Infected breast tissue, also called mastitis, is most common in women who are nursing. It can happen when milk gets trapped in your breast. You might also get it if something clogs one of your milk ducts or bacteria get into your breast through a cracked nipple.

Mastitis often happens within the first 6 to 12 weeks after you give birth, but sometimes women who aren’t breastfeeding get it, too.

If you have mastitis, your symptoms may come on without warning. Common signs include:

• Tender, warm, or swollen breasts
• A red patch of skin, often in a wedge shape
• Pain or burning when you breastfeed
• A fever of 101 F or higher
• Chills

Skin Conditions

There are several common skin conditions that can put a rash on your breast, like:

Hives. Red, itchy welts on your skin that often result from an allergy

Psoriasis. Scaly, itchy patches of skin that show up when your immune system goes haywire and attacks your body

Scabies. Bites from the human itch mite. They form a line of little bumps on your skin and get really itchy at night

Shingles. Painful, itchy blisters that result from the same virus that causes chickenpox

Yeast. This fungus lives on your skin. When too much grows, it can lead to an itchy rash in places where skin touches skin.

Intertrigo. It happens when the skin under your breast rubs together too much. It can trap moisture and create friction. Besides a red or brown rash, your skin may swell and itch. It may have a funny smell.

Nipple eczema. It can lead to a rash around one or both of your nipples. The skin around them may get dry and scaly, or you could have a rash that feels moist to the touch. You may notice a burning feeling if you’re nursing. Nipple eczema often affects women about 5 to 6 months after giving birth.

More Serious Conditions

Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms result from a buildup of fluid in your breast. Many women don’t feel a lump. Instead, you may notice a rash that looks like an insect bite.

You could also have:

• Itching that doesn’t go away
• A nipple that goes inward or gets flat
• Swelling and redness that affect at least a third of your breast
• Pink, purple-red, or bruised skin
• Skin that looks ridged or pitted like an orange peel
• A sudden increase in breast size
• Breast tenderness or a “heavy” feeling
• Swollen lymph nodes under your arm or near your collarbone

Paget’s disease is a rare skin disorder that’s often linked to breast cancer in the tissues behind your nipple. It can cause a red, scaly rash. You could also have discharge or bleeding from your nipple.

What to Do for a Breast Rash

If you notice a change in your breasts, try not to worry. Because the hormones in your body are constantly changing, so are your breasts. Many of these differences aren’t cause for concern.

It can help to:

Avoid scratching. This will only make your rash worse.

Take a warm bath, or place a warm washcloth over your breast. This may help soothe your skin.

Look for a cause. Did you try a new perfume or laundry detergent? Stop using any recently added products and see if your rash improves.

When to See a Doctor

Signs that you should call your doctor right away include:

• Fever
• Intense pain
• Red streaks coming from your breast
• Yellow or green pus
• Open sores

You should also see your doctor if any symptoms get worse. They’ll do an exam to figure out what’s causing your rash so they can prescribe the best treatment. Some simple rashes go away quickly with a special cream.

If you do have a breast infection, you’ll need antibiotics. Make sure you finish all your medicine, even if you start feeling better right away.

Unless your doctor suggests otherwise, you won’t need to stop nursing. Try to fully empty your breasts so you’re less likely to get an abscess -- a pocket of pus that may need draining.

Drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest to help your body fight off a breast infection.

Your doctor may want you to get a mammogram. This can give them a better idea of what’s going on inside your breast.

If your symptoms don’t clear up soon, your doctor may also want to do a biopsy. They’ll remove a small piece of your breast tissue and look closely at it under a microscope.

Symptoms and signs of breast cancer. Booking Health

Currently, due to the difficulties associated with organizing treatment in Turkey, Switzerland, South Korea and India, we have suspended the processing of applications in these areas.

If you are interested in organizing treatment in Germany, please leave a request and our specialists will contact you as soon as possible.

If you need information about innovative treatments for stage 4 breast cancer in Germany, you can find it

Here

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Pathology ranks first among female malignant tumors. The tumor often occurs in reproductive age. Therefore, every woman should know the main symptoms of breast cancer in order to detect it in time, consult a doctor and receive timely treatment. Indeed, in this case, oncologists manage not only to completely cure the disease, but also to avoid complete removal of the mammary gland.

Contents

1. The first symptoms of breast cancer
2. Subjective signs of breast cancer in women
3. Does the breast hurt with cancer
4. What symptoms are objectively detected in breast cancer?
5. Self-examination
6. Late symptoms
7. Clinics and cost of treatment
8. Breast cancer treatment in Germany

Early symptoms of breast cancer

Often, the disease is usually not detected in the early stages, since breast cancer usually begins without symptoms. In addition, a woman may not attach much importance to them and not see a doctor for a long time, although the tumor continues to grow.

With breast cancer, the first signs in most cases can only be detected by palpation (when probing the breast). Visible changes in the skin or shape of the breast usually do not occur if the tumor is inside the duct and is less than 5 cm in diameter. It can be:

• Enlargement of one gland in size
• Its displacement upwards or to the side
• Increased mobility of one breast or its fixation, limiting mobility
• Indrawing of the nipple, change in its shape, rash or ulceration - possible early signs of breast cancer
• Discharge from the nipple (this can be blood, pus, colostrum)
• Changes in the skin over the breast - its bulge, tension or swelling
• Local expansion of blood vessels over one of the areas of the breast
• The presence of weeping surfaces
• Redness of the skin

Sometimes the first signs of breast cancer are symptoms of intoxication and an increase in axillary lymph nodes. Especially in cases where the mammary glands are large. Then changes in them visually begin to be determined much later.

With breast cancer, early symptoms should be a reason to see a doctor and get diagnosed. It is likely that the detected signs do not indicate a malignant tumor, but speak of mastopathy, inflammation of the mammary gland, or a benign neoplasm. But still, it is better to make sure of this, so that in the case of cancer, it will not be allowed to go to the stage when the treatment becomes ineffective.

Subjective signs of breast cancer in women

Signs that are based on a woman's feelings are considered subjective in breast cancer. In fact, these are complaints with which the patient turns to a mammologist or oncologist.

The main subjective signs of breast cancer:

• Pulling sensations in the mammary gland
• Itching in breast cancer is observed with swelling of the skin, the appearance of rashes on the nipple
• Possible signs of intoxication syndrome in breast cancer: fever, nausea
• Rarely noted pain
• Women may also complain of swelling of the breast, discharge from the nipples

In most cases, breast cancer appears only in the later stages. Therefore, an objective examination is required for timely diagnosis.

Can breast cancer hurt

Patients often ask their doctor if breast cancer hurts. Some of them believe that the presence of pain in the mammary gland is a sign of a malignant tumor. But it's not.

If you have chest pain, it is more likely that dishormonal processes are causing this symptom than cancer. Because the chest hurts with cancer, usually already in the later stages, when the fact of the presence of a tumor is also determined by other clinical signs.

But there are forms of the disease when the breast hurts with breast cancer. This is primarily an edematous-infiltrative form. It is accompanied by an inflammatory process. This is associated with breast cancer pain. In other cases, the pain syndrome appears only in the later stages, when the neoplasm reaches a large size. In this case, the disintegration of the tumor begins, hemorrhages into it are possible. The neoplasm compresses the nerves and surrounding tissues, causing pain.

Choose a specialized clinic and treatment

What symptoms are objectively detected in breast cancer?

Objective signs and symptoms are most important in breast cancer. That is, those that the doctor detects during the examination and probing of the mammary glands.

In most cases, breast cancer has little to no symptoms in its early stages. The main of them is the presence of a palpable tumor in the mammary gland. Nevertheless, in some cases, some symptoms of breast cancer in women can not only help determine the very fact of the presence of a malignant neoplasm, but also suggest its histological form and location.

When examining a woman, the doctor pays the most attention to:

• The shape of the mammary glands
• Their symmetry
• The condition of the nipples
• Their location
• Changes in the skin of the breast
• )
• Condition of the inguinal lymph nodes
• The function of the hand on the side of the alleged lesion and the condition of the pectoral muscles

On examination, the doctor often reveals reddening of the skin of the breast. It can be local or total. The palpable tumor is fixed to the chest wall and is not always displaced. The skin above it is not only hyperemic, but often swollen.

Lemon peel symptom of breast cancer develops. Swelling and redness may spread to the skin of the hand. Sometimes ulcers appear on the mammary gland. On palpation, seals in the form of nodules or diffuse (uniform) hardening of the breast tissue are determined.

Paget's cancer, which affects the nipple, shows a rash or weeping patches on the areola. There are such clinical forms of this disease:

• Psoriasis-like - the appearance of plaques and scales
• Eczematous - weeping eczema on the areola or rash
• Ulcerative - characterized by the appearance of ulceration
• Tumor - a tumor-like formation is visualized in the nipple area

Well-marked external signs of breast cancer appear in acute forms of the malignant process. They are considered the most unfavorable in terms of prognosis.

In this case, with breast cancer, a bump in the mammary gland is not even always detected, since other symptoms are more pronounced:

• A fever and general signs of intoxication
• Elevated inflammation of the mammary gland - redness and infiltration of the skin of the breast, its loading
• Increase lymph nodes
• Circular discharge from the nipple

Self -observation of

0 9000 9000 9000) stages, if you regularly engage in self-diagnosis. Breast examinations are recommended for women from the age of 20, since breast cancer can be detected at almost any age. It is carried out once a month.

Self-examination is especially important in developing countries where cancer screening is poorly organized. So, in the CIS countries, on average, in 80% of cases, women manage to determine breast cancer on their own, which becomes the reason for visiting a doctor. And only in 20% of cases, the tumor is first detected by doctors.

Unfortunately, in most cases, the patient notices changes only when the symptoms become severe: deformity of the mammary gland, skin ulcerations, discharge from the nipple, etc. appear. If you do regular self-examinations, you can understand that you have breast cancer much earlier. And early detection improves the results of treatment, in most cases allowing the disease to be completely cured.

The following are international recommendations on how to determine breast cancer on your own:

1. It is necessary to conduct an examination one week after menstruation, which is associated with a decrease in the sensitivity of the mammary glands.

2. Be sure to pay attention to the laundry. If it is dirty at the site of the projection of the nipples, this may indicate a discharge. Carefully inspect the areola (pigmented circle around the nipple). See if there are peelings, rashes, ulcers on it.

3. One way to understand breast cancer is to compare two breasts. Normally, they should be symmetrical. Stand in front of a mirror and put your hands behind your head. Take a close look at your chest.

Pay attention to the following changes:

• One breast has become larger than the other (if before they were the same or the other mammary gland had a larger size)0026
• Areas with discoloration of the skin appeared on one breast

The asymmetry of the mammary glands and their different relative positions are not signs of a malignant tumor. After all, it is likely that they have always been different or became so a few years ago. Timely detection of breast cancer helps to monitor the mammary glands in dynamics. If the asymmetry is growing and has appeared recently, this is a reason to consult a doctor.

4. The next step is to palpate the breast. This is the best way to find breast cancer with a small tumor size. Palpation is carried out in a horizontal position. Lie down on your back. The chest in the region of the palpable breast should be slightly elevated. Therefore, a pillow should be placed under the back on the probing side. Feel the chest with three or four fingers of the opposite hand. Remember the "route" of palpation. If it is the same every time, it will help to detect changes in the mammary gland in time. At the end of the self-examination, squeeze the nipple to check for discharge and palpate the axilla for swollen lymph nodes.

5. Another additional method for recognizing breast cancer is palpation in the shower. Water changes the properties of the skin, and the tumor is sometimes easier to detect. In addition, fingers glide better, which makes examination easier.

If you notice signs of a tumor, see your doctor. There is no need to be afraid, because not every bump in the chest is cancer. Most of the pathological formations that women reveal in themselves are not oncological. After all, there are dozens of other diseases that are found with a much higher frequency than malignant tumors.

Choose a specialized clinic and treatment

Late symptoms

At stages 3-4, the symptoms and signs of breast cancer are associated with a significant increase in the size of the neoplasm, its germination in the chest wall and other nearby tissues. Distant metastases may be found. They most often affect the bones, spine, spinal cord, lungs, liver.

What breast cancer looks like depends on its clinical form. Often the disease is detected only at stage 3 or later. At this time, the tumor can be seen with the naked eye. It is already growing into the chest wall, which is accompanied by pain. Skin ulcers often appear in breast cancer. Symptoms of intoxication may occur.

With a large tumor, progressive weight loss is often noted, since the tumor consumes a large amount of nutrients in order to grow, which it "takes" from the blood.

In the advanced stages of breast cancer, open wounds on the skin of the breast may bleed and fester. They don't heal. The neoplasm may be partially located outside the mammary gland, and not inside it. Pus and necrotic masses are discharged from the nipple. Bleeding occurs from time to time.

In stage 4 breast cancer, the symptoms are also associated with the presence of metastatic foci. Clinical signs depend on the location of the metastases. If they are present in the bones, painful sensations and pathological fractures are possible.

In case of metastatic lesions of the structures of the respiratory system in breast cancer, the fluid in the lungs causes shortness of breath and is often the direct cause of death. Possible damage to the spinal cord with the development of sensory and motor disorders, dysfunction of the pelvic organs.

Clinics and cost of treatment

The average cost of the main types of treatment is:

• Sectoral resection for breast cancer with further flap plastic - € 12,870
• Radical mastectomy for breast cancer with large or small pectoral fascia - €13 840
• Treatment of breast cancer with lymph node metastases by lumpectomy with lymphadenectomy – €18 680
• Plastic reconstruction of the breast with own tissues using the DIEP flap method – €47 640
• Breast reconstruction after mastectomy with own tissue or implant €18,580
• Breast reconstruction after tumor removal with an expander or alloprosthesis €13,930
• Chemotherapy for breast cancer €6,940
• Treatment of breast cancer (cancer) chest) by embolization or chemoembolization – €42,790
• Radiotherapy for breast cancer – €33,590
• Brachytherapy for breast cancer – €12,570
• Breast cancer treatment with proton therapy €87,620

The total cost of the medical program depends on the treatment plan. It is determined after receiving the results of the initial examination.

The following clinics are leaders in the treatment of breast cancer:

1. Helios Clinic Berlin-Buch, Department of Gynecology, Mammology and Obstetrics
2. University Hospital Tübingen, Department of Adult and Pediatric Gynecology, Mammology, Obstetrics
3. University Hospital Ulm, Department of Obstetrics, Adult and Pediatric Gynecology
4. Charité University Hospital Berlin, Department of Adult and Pediatric Gynecology, Mammology
5. University Hospital. Goethe Frankfurt am Main, Department of Adult and Pediatric Gynecology, Obstetrics and Mammology

undergo treatment. But it is not equally effective in different countries.