Breast lymphatic drainage has four ways:
1. Both sides of the breasts are the traffic between the subcutaneous lymphatic vessels, lymph fluid can flow to the side of the breast on the other side.
2. Breast deep lymphatic network could be extended rectus sheath and the hepatic falciform ligament leading to the liver. In addition, cancer cells can also cause pleural and spinal metastasis reflux.
3. Hematogenous metastasis: breast cancer cells can enter into the veins through the lymphatic channels, but also can directly invade the blood circulation and to distant metastasis. Can cause lung, bone, soft tissue, liver and adrenal metastasis. Of which: bone metastasis in thoracic and lumbar spine and pelvis more common.
4. Breasts most of the lymph through the lateral margin of pectoralis major lymphatic drainage to the axillary lymph nodes, and then the flow of the subclavian lymph nodes. The upper part of the breast may be the flow of thoracic lymph large and small muscle lymph nodes, direct access to the subclavian lymph nodes, and then the flow of supraclavicular lymph nodes. The inner part of the breast lymphatic flow of lymph through the intercostal parasternal lymph nodes.
Complications of breast cancer as follows:
1. A small number of patients with breast cancer at an early stage may have varying degrees of tenderness or nipple discharge. Relatively rapid growth rate of breast cancer tumor. Breasts may have “orange peel-like” changes in the surface of the skin cancer depression, the direction of the tumor tend to nipple, nipple inversion and so on. By late stage breast cancer through the lymphatic metastasis and distant metastasis may be complicated by a host of other symptoms.
2. In advanced breast cancer to be a “tumor anorexia – cachexia syndrome.” Loss of appetite, cachexia is the reason, but also clinical manifestations of cachexia. , There may be loss of appetite, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, anemia and fever and other symptoms, severe cases can lead to life-threatening.
3. Breast cancer, lymph node metastasis can occur later, ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes, and the growing number of enlarged lymph nodes, mutual adhesion into a group, a small number of patients with contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis can occur. Breast cancer can also occur post-distant metastasis of breast cancer will be transferred to the lungs, chest pain, pleural effusion, shortness of breath and other symptoms. The transfer of pain in spinal lesion can occur even paraplegia, liver metastasis can occur jaundice, hepatomegaly and so on.