Is breast cancer painless and asymptomatic in its late stages?

Breast cancer that does not cause pain or itching is not necessarily in the late stage. The detailed analysis is as follows:

Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor, and early symptoms are not always obvious. As a result, many patients are already at an intermediate or advanced stage when diagnosed. The absence of pain or itching in breast cancer typically refers to a characteristic of early-stage disease—patients may detect a lump during a physical examination or self-examination without experiencing significant pain or itchiness. This is one of the reasons why early detection of breast cancer is difficult. The lack of pain or itching is actually one of the early signs of breast cancer, so it does not indicate an advanced stage. Breast cancer is classified into early, middle, and late stages. In early-stage breast cancer, the tumor is usually less than 2 centimeters in size and has not spread to lymph nodes or distant organs, resulting in a relatively high cure rate. In contrast, tumors in middle and late stages are larger and have metastasized to distant organs, greatly reducing the chances of cure.

Therefore, if a patient notices a painless and non-itchy lump in the breast, they should promptly visit the breast surgery department at a hospital for evaluation, enabling early diagnosis and treatment and thereby improving the likelihood of a cure. Additionally, it's important to be aware of other early warning signs of breast cancer, such as nipple discharge, thickening of the breast skin, or skin dimpling. Early medical intervention is key to successful breast cancer treatment.