It is not straightforward to determine what stage of breast cancer is present by virtue of the symptoms of armpit pain, which can occur in the early stages of breast cancer. When breast cancer occurs the cancer cells are shed and can invade the surrounding lymphatic vessels and metastasize to their local regional lymphatic drainage areas.
In the initial stage, patients mostly present with swollen lymph nodes in the ipsilateral armpit, and the swollen lymph nodes are still movable. Subsequently, the lymph nodes become smaller, larger and more numerous, and eventually fuse together and become fixed. As the disease continues to progress, metastatic lymph nodes can be palpated in the supraclavicular and contralateral axillae and are painful to the touch.