Itching and Tingling: Is This Common Symptom of Breast Cancer Being Ignored?

Could off-and-on itching be a sign of breast cancer? One woman reflects on her symptoms and experience before diagnosis, plus the power of sharing stories.

It started when I was about 40, in the 1–2 years leading up to my breast cancer diagnosis: an itchy, tingling feeling in my left nipple that could be intense!

It first happened when I was sitting in my cubicle at work, and I didn’t think too much of it. I’d make sure nobody was around and scratch at my breast over my shirt, with no relief.

At some point, I went to the bathroom for privacy so I could get under my shirt and bra and try to scratch the itch.

Had crumbs from my “everything” breakfast bagel landed in my bra? I saw no signs of a rash. It felt deeper than on the surface: inside my breast and behind my nipple.

As suddenly as it started, it stopped. I forgot about it for a while until it happened again.

I thought maybe it was an irritation from my lace bra or an allergic reaction to laundry detergent, so I switched bras and decided to buy hypoallergenic detergent.

The changes didn’t help. Maybe it was my menstrual cycle? I couldn’t find patterns as to when it would happen. It was just a sudden, intense sensation out of nowhere.

It never ever once occurred to me that it could possibly be a sign of breast cancer.

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Fatigue, stress, or breast cancer?

It’s always important to be aware of the official signs of breast cancer:

• lumps
• dimpled skin
• a visible scaly rash
• swelling
• nipple discharge
• pain

But unusual sensation? I had never heard of it being a symptom. It never even crossed my mind.

In the 1–2 years leading up to my diagnosis, I had other stuff happening on the left side of my body besides the itchy, tingling nipple thing.

First, it was pneumonia in my left lung. Then it was an extreme strep throat infection and a tonsil abscess on my left side. I came down with a lot of colds, and my left neck gland would swell up, as sometimes happens with a virus.

I was getting sick often, and I was fatigued. I chalked it all up to being the exhausted, stressed mom of a child under age 5 who had recently experienced two miscarriages. These things were surely what was leaving me tired and run down.

At some point, I did wonder if I had one of those invisible illnesses like lupus or chronic fatigue syndrome. I remembered a tick bite on my back years ago and thought maybe I had Lyme disease.

“Nah, I’m being crazy,” I thought. “I’m just overtaxed.”

I tried to do the usual things: get more rest, more exercise, eat well, take vitamins, and stay hydrated.

Though I was convinced I had Lyme disease and wanted to be tested for it, it never occurred to me to bring up the itchy, tingling sensation in my nipple to my doctor.

Then one morning when I was 42, I caught a glimpse of my left breast in the bathroom mirror as I was getting ready to step into the shower. It looked weird — was that a bit of dimpling? I felt around and found a lump. I scheduled a doctor’s appointment right away.

Then life changed. I was now immersed in cancer-land: biopsies, scans, a mastectomy, chemo, and radiation. I had advanced stage 3c invasive lobular carcinoma in my left breast and 14 cancerous lymph nodes in my armpit.

I had a double mastectomy and forgot about the sensation in my nipple.

Making sense of the madness

Like many of us who are diagnosed with breast cancer and have no genetic or family history, I went down the online rabbit holes trying to make sense of how this could happen to me, trying to make correlations.

Somewhere along the way, I read that an itchy or tingling feeling could potentially be a warning sign of breast cancer. I immediately recalled the intense bouts of itchiness in my nipple — woah!

Was that an SOS from my body to pay attention? What if I had complained about this to my doctor, would I maybe, just maybe, have found my lump sooner?

In retrospect, it wasn’t normal. I should have.

Could I have been diagnosed sooner at an earlier stage and avoided some treatment? I’ll never know.

I also remembered all the times I was sick on the left side of my body leading up to diagnosis. I do think the body knows before our minds do. I believe that.

I’m no expert, but it’s interesting I had so many “unrelated” symptoms on the same side of my body as my cancer.

I came up with my little layman’s theory: were my cancer-infected lymph nodes too busy dealing with cancer to do a good job fighting off colds, pneumonia, and strep throat? Was my body trying to send me a signal with that itchy, tingling nipple?

I’ll never know if the itchy nipple was an alert that could have resulted in an earlier diagnosis had I seen my doctor about it. But I can share my experience.

Maybe somebody else is experiencing it too. Maybe my story will help someone. 

Advocacy through shared experience

I’ve always believed advocacy begins with community first — through sharing experiences. All the narratives we take in just might be useful somewhere else down the line.

Did you have an itchy, tingling nipple or breast, or other weird things leading up to your breast cancer diagnosis? Pop into the Bezzy BC forums and share your story.

When we share our unique stories with each other, they may reach someone who needs to hear them.