The symptoms of metastatic or recurrent breast cancer depend on how much the cancer has spread; some are symptomatic, but many patients are asymptomatic.
Recurrent breast cancer
Cancer that recurs in the ipsilateral breast or in the mastectomy scar is called a local recurrence. Local recurrence may have the following symptoms:
- A lump or thickening in the breast, chest wall, or armpit after breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy, and there may also be changes in the appearance or sensation of the skin of the chest.
- Change in breast size or shape, or formation of shallow depressions or wrinkles in the skin of the breast.
- Nipple discharge or bleeding when the nipple is not squeezed.
- Changes in the nipple, such as scaling, crusting, or invagination.
- Cancer that recurs elsewhere in the body (such as the lungs) is called a distant recurrence. Some of the symptoms of a distant recurrence are the same as those of metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer
The symptoms of metastatic breast cancer depend on the site of the metastasis and how far the breast cancer has metastasized, for example:
- If bone metastases occur, bone pain may occur and bones are more likely to fracture.
- If lung metastases occur, shortness of breath may occur.
- If liver metastases occur, there may be abdominal swelling or yellowing and itching of the skin.
- If the cancer metastasizes to the brain, there may be confusion, changes in vision, or seizures.