Smelling cancer!

brandy tux: I hope you talked to your surgeon, and he told you about treatments available for this. I couldn't remember where I saw your post, and looked in my other groups to tell you this. Treatment is available! Sorry this has been so distressing for you.

Yes, all were near 40 or older. Thank you for possible explanation to explore.

I'm so glad you posted this. I haven't been diagnosed with breast cancer yet, but I do have a large papilloma in my right breast that will be excised next month. The tissue will be sent to pathology to determine whether the papilloma is mixed with or is "hiding" malignant cells. I also have strong b.o. only in my right armpit along with occasional tingling and episodic pain in that breast and armpit that sometime radiates down the arm. The underarm odor is the most persistent symptom. Showering does not wash it away. The only way I've been able to control the odor is with vigorous washing followed by wiping my armpit with alcohol swabs before putting on deodorant. I am also aware of animals being able to smell cancer and wondered if some humans could too, so this post really caught my interest. My husband can also smell the difference between my right and left underarm odors.

@lindydue1919, I sincerely hope that it isn't cancer. Please let us know what you learn from pathology.

I too noticed the armpit odor for about a year before I was diagnosed. That was in 2010. I wish I would have remembered that, I have since been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer with a possible 2 year prognosis. The smell never really went away. I started smelling it in my right armpit. I don’t have cancer on that breast but I have it in my lymph nodes in my neck and armpit on the right side. I had a left breast mastectomy and have a tumor in my left armpit and it has spread to my bones, liver and lymph nodes. My neighbors dog could smell my cancer. There is a smell. I have an acute sense of smell. I never thought it was cancer. Have it checked out. Don’t wait.

How can you tell the dog could smell it? I’m curious as our cat likes to sit with me vs others in the family and I also wondered the same.

The neighbors had recently got a golden retriever he was a rescue dog. When he first met me he jumped up on me literally put his nose in my breast and armpit then sat next to me and wouldn’t leave. The following week I was diagnosed with cancer. Every time they brought him up for the weekend, we lived in the mountains, he would run to my house to see if I was ok before he would go into their house. After my mastectomy surgery he ran over sniffed me and then my whole house and he never came over again. He knew.

In early 2020, I began experiencing terrible underarm body odor, primarily in my right underarm. I mentioned to to my GP who suggested I switch deodorants. Still, it persisted.

I went in line and found a 2009 study in Japan by researchers who thought that strong underarm body odor, coupled with excessive ear wax, could be an indicator of very early breast cancer cells developing. Well, this certainly made me take notice, as in addition to the strong underarm body odor, I had noticed excessive wax in my ears.

So, in December 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I went in for a mammogram. This led me to have two biopsies in my right breast due to a papilloma and a radial scar. I then had surgery to have them removed. Shortly thereafter, the strong underarm body and the earwax disappeared!

Mammograms since have been clear. Well, the strong underarm body odor has once again reared its ugly head. So, I am scheduled for another mammogram in 10 days just to see. I am not taking any chances, especially since my sister had breast cancer!

I had excessive boils or sores and it was finally after a year and half pursuit that the cause of sores was inflammation. I later read inflammation is an underlying reason for cancer. During that time I was convinced something was eating me up from the inside and that I could have cancer. But nobody believed nor my OBGYN signed me up for cancer tests despite several asks. Finally as they were starting to subside, my mammogram showed as abnormal and I had a cancer diagnosis 6 mos later. I really believe our bodies speak to us. I still don’t know what caused the inflammation or if I still have it.

Wishing you the best with the upcoming mammogram, @lrw5. I'm glad you're being proactive. I hope you'll post an update.