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Symptoms of Breast Cancer

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Knowing The Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
Written by John Molnar   
Breast cancer is one of the most significant diseases today and yet knowing the symptoms of breast cancer can help you to avoid the fatality of this condition.  Currently, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths within the United States in women.  It is a condition that is brought on by unknown factors which many believe includes genetics, the environment and the unknown.  The United States estimates that some 178,000 women will develop breast cancer per year.  Moreover, while this condition is one thought to only happen to women, it can and does affect many men each year as well.  Up to 2000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year.  Even though these are sobering facts, there is some good news in the world of breast cancer survivorship.

The Importance Of Knowing Breast Cancer Symptoms


One of the keys to overcoming breast cancer is to know what breast cancer symptoms are and to react to them effectively.  Breast cancer has been treated over the last thirty years in a variety of ways, and throughout that time great improvements have been made.  For example, if a women was diagnosised with breast cancer in 1975, she was likely to face radical mastectomy, which is the complete removal of the breast including the lymph nodes found under the arm in order to overcome it.  More so, she still had a high rate of fatality.  Today, this is not the case.  First off, early detection saves more lives than ever.  Women are also able to take advantage of less invasive and breast sparing operations than ever.  It is rare for a radical mastectomy to be performed today.

Through early detection and knowing the breast cancer symptoms, women, and men, are able to overcome the condition much more than in the past.

Breast Cancer Symptoms


The fact is that knowing the symptoms of breast cancer often saves lives.  In most situations where the condition is caught early, treatment has a better chance of helping you to overcome it.  What's more, there is not one straightforward method of curing cancer and the more opportunity you give the treatment to work, the better your survival likelihood will be.

The most common sign of breast cancer is a lump found within the breast.  Yet, most women will have lumps throughout their breasts that change throughout the month.  This is normal.  Most lumps found in a breast are normal and nothing to worry about.  Nevertheless, this is the first symptom of breast cancer in both men and women.  The lump does not cause any pain and simply feels like a thickening in the tissues.  Through detection of the lump, individuals are able to notice that something is not right and can then talk to their doctor about it.

In addition, other breast cancer symptoms are present in many situations.  These include the following:

  • A discharge from the nipple that is either clear or bloody and spontaneously happens can be a symptom.  Usually, this symptom is found along with a breast lump.
  • The nipple's look changes.  For example, the nipple may retract or an indentation may surface on the tissues of the breast.
  • The breast itself may change in size.  The breast may also change in the way that it is contoured.  It may look different, suddenly or over time.
  • The skin over the breast may become flattened out.  Indentations here are common, too.
  • The skin over the breast may become pitted or red.  The skin may feel rough or dimpled in several locations.

Although all of these breast cancer symptoms are important to know, it is also important to realize that breast cancer is not the only thing that can cause them.  It is more likely that these changes in the way that the breast is formed, in its size as well as in its shape are due to other, more normal occurrences.  In women, the menstrual cycle plays a significant role in this.  Lumps can develop throughout the cycle and often become a regularly found element in the breast at various stages of that cycle.  In addition, women that become pregnant are likely to notice changes in the size of their breasts as well as the contours of it.  This too is normal and expected during and after pregnancy.  More so, other conditions that are not cancer related can cause these types of symptoms to happen.  For example, benign changes are common.  This includes fibrocystic changes, infections in the tissue or skin, injury to the tissue or skin or fibro adenomas and cysts.
 
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