Table 3 Breast cancer symptoms by ethnicity, stage of cancer and age

CHINESE

Early stages (8)

I

< 40

Lump under armpit

I

40–49

Lump

I

50–59

Lump

I

60–69

Lump

II

< 40

Lump

II

40–49

Lump

II

60–69

Lump

II

60–69

Lump

Advanced Stages (9)

III

< 40

Lump

III

< 40

Lump, bean size

III

40–49

Lump, hardness in breast,

III

50–59

Lump

III

60–69

Tightness, prickly/stinging pain and later found a lump

III

60–69

Lump

III

60–69

Lump (bony)

IV

60–69

Protruding grape size lump

IV

< 40

Hard lump, until it grew bigger

MALAY

Early Stages (7)

I

< 40

Lump

I

40–49

Lump

I

40–49

Lump

II

< 40

Protruding lump on left nipple.

II

50–59

Lump

II

50–59

Lump

II

60–69

A boil of the size of a cherry on the breast

Advanced stages (5)

III

40–49

Protruding lump

III

40–49

Mammography positive result

III

50–59

Lump that was painful

III

60–69

One breast bigger and red.

III

≥70

Painful lump

INDIAN

Early Stages (5)

I

40–49

Had an intuition and went to clinic, Doctor didn’t find lump, she insisted then after 3rd check, lump was found.

I

60–69

Lump (20 cent coin size)

II

40–49

Pain in breast

II

≥70

Swelling lump

II

≥70

Tiny lump,

Advanced Stages (2)

III

40–49

Pain in breast

IV

60–69

Inverted nipple, skin ‘pocket’, sometimes got lump