The death of Yao Beina has brought the dreaded term “breast cancer” into the public eye once again. What should be done to prevent this evil that lurks in the shadows and devours women’s health? In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer is gradually increasing and the age of onset is also decreasing. What are the early symptoms of breast cancer? Early stage breast cancer often does not have typical symptoms and signs and is not easily noticed. The following are the typical signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Breast lumps 80% of breast cancer patients are first diagnosed with breast lumps. Breast lumps are often found unintentionally, most of them are single, hard, with irregular edges and less smooth surface. Most breast cancers are painless lumps, only a few are accompanied by varying degrees of vague pain or stabbing pain. Nipple overflow is called nipple overflow when there is blood, plasma, milk or pus flowing from the nipple during non-pregnancy period, or when there is still milk flowing after stopping breastfeeding for more than half a year. There are many causes of nipple overflow, and common diseases include intraductal papilloma, mastopexy, ductal dilatation and breast cancer. Unilateral hemorrhagic overflow from a single hole should be further examined, and more attention should be paid if it is accompanied by breast lumps. 3. Skin changes Skin changes caused by breast cancer can show many signs. The most common one is that the tumor invades Cooper’s ligament which connects the breast skin and deep pectoral fascia, causing it to shorten and lose its elasticity, pulling the skin of the corresponding area, resulting in “dimple sign”, i.e. a small depression in the breast skin, like a small dimple. If the cancer cells block the lymphatic ducts, “orange peel-like changes” will appear, i.e. the skin of the breast will have many small dimples, just like an orange peel. In advanced stage of breast cancer, the cancer cells infiltrate into the skin along the lymphatic ducts, glandular ducts or fibrous tissues and grow into the skin, forming scattered hard nodules around the main cancer site, which is called “skin satellite nodules”. 4.Abnormality of nipple and areola Tumor located in or close to the deep part of nipple may cause nipple retraction. If the tumor is far away from the nipple, it may also cause nipple retraction or elevation when the large duct in the breast is invaded and shortened. Eczema-like carcinoma of the nipple, i.e. Paget’s disease of the breast, manifests as itching, erosion, rupture, crusting, flaking and burning pain of the nipple skin, resulting in nipple retraction. 5. Axillary lymph node swelling More than 1/3 of breast cancer patients admitted to large hospitals have axillary lymph node metastasis. Initially, the lymph nodes in the axilla on the same side may be enlarged, and the enlarged lymph nodes are hard, scattered and pushable. As the disease progresses, the lymph nodes will gradually fuse and adhere to the skin and surrounding tissues. In the advanced stage, metastatic lymph nodes can be felt in the supraclavicular and contralateral axillae.