When breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause changes that women should watch for. You can help safeguard your health by learning the following warning signs of breast cancer:

• a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.

• a change in the size or shape of the breast.

• ridges or pitting of the breast; the skin looks like the skin of an orange.

• a change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels; for example, it may be warm, swollen, red, or scaly.

• nipple discharge or tenderness, or the nipple is pulled back or inverted into the breast.