Which of the following symptom is suggestive of breast cancer?

HPSSSB Staff Nurse - 2016

Medical & Surgical Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: HPSSSB Staff Nurse - 2016

Explanation

Unilateral nipple discharge (from one breast) is a classic warning sign for breast pathology.
Discharge that is spontaneous (occurs without squeezing), bloody, or serous (clear/yellow) is particularly suspicious for malignancy.
While often caused by benign intraductal papillomas, it can also be a sign of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) or invasive cancer.
According to pathology texts, discharge that is spontaneous, unilateral, and bloody in an older woman is highly likely to have a malignant origin.

Option A: Breast enlargement is a non-specific symptom. It is most commonly associated with benign physiological processes like puberty, pregnancy, hormonal fluctuations, or weight gain.
Option B: Breast tenderness (mastalgia) is a very common symptom, but it is overwhelmingly associated with benign conditions. The most frequent cause is cyclic hormonal changes related to the menstrual cycle.
Option C: Darkening of the nipple and areola is a well-documented physiological change that occurs during pregnancy due to hormonal stimulation (increased estrogen and progesterone). It is not associated with breast cancer.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Clinical manifestations of breast cancer helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
A key nursing role is patient education on breast self-awareness, encouraging women to be familiar with their breasts' normal look and feel to report any changes promptly.
When a patient reports a breast symptom, the nurse must conduct a thorough health history, focusing on the characteristics of the symptom (e.g., for discharge: unilateral/bilateral, color, spontaneous/expressed, associated lump).
What if? If the nipple discharge was bilateral and milky in a non-lactating woman, the nurse should suspect galactorrhea. The priority would be to inquire about medications (like certain antidepressants or antihypertensives) and symptoms of endocrine disorders (like a pituitary adenoma) and facilitate referral for hormonal evaluation.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question: which symptom is most specifically suggestive of breast cancer.
Evaluate each option based on its common causes. Think about whether the symptom is more often benign or malignant.
Analyze 'Breast enlargement' and 'Breast tenderness'. Recognize these are very common and usually linked to benign hormonal changes.
Analyze 'Darkening of nipple'. Recall this is a classic physiological sign of pregnancy, not cancer.
Analyze 'Unilateral discharge from nipples'. Recognize that unilateral, spontaneous, and bloody/serous discharge is a well-known 'red flag' sign for breast pathology, including cancer.
Conclude that unilateral discharge is the most specific and concerning sign for potential malignancy among the given choices.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Pathology- ROBBINS & COTRAN PATHOLOGIC BASIS OF DISEASE 10TH Ed p. 1038-1040

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) p. 58-60