Breast Cancer Symptoms
In the initial stages, the breast cancer has no obvious symptoms and it vary in individuals from lumps to swelling and changes in the skin.
A lump too small which is felt does not cause any unusual changes and it is unnoticed.
However, in many cases appearance of new lump or a mass is the first sign noticed. The lump may be hard to touch with uneven edges and they are painless.
But there are cases the lump is very tender, round edged and soft. More lumps are painless.
Breast Cancer Symptoms are:
- Swelling of part of the breast or all parts
- Skin irritation in the breast.
- Nipple pain,
- Nipple begins to turn inward (inverted) slowly
- Breast pain.
- Appearances of changes in the nipple like redness, scaly formation,
- thickening of the nipple.
- A nipple discharge (bloody or clear fluid)
- Changes in the skin of the breast like thickening.
- Arm pit with lymph nodes or a mass or lump
It is essential to note that these symptoms always an indication for a breast cancer. But in some cases the above symptoms may be a symptom of non-cancerous conditions like in an infectious cyst.
In the early stages of the bread cancer, the cancerous tissue formation is hidden inside the tissues and it is always not possible to see the cancer by naked eyes. The changes happen in the breast may not be always cancer. A lump may come by an infection and it may disappear. The changes in the skin surface of the breast may be due to sunburn. A rash may be by an allergy. But all these symptoms to be decided for a benign or malignant type of growth.
A clinical breast exam is to be conducted during the age of 20 and 30. And in the suspected cases a mammogram and ultrasound is helpful in clarifying the nature of the disease. A mammogram is the best type of breast cancer screening and it is able to detect the disease even before it is felt as a lump. A yearly recording of mammogram is wise to women above 40 years of age. Earlier type of detection of cancer by mammogram helps in treating the disease successfully.
Magnetic resonance imaging is the best method of observing the health of the breast and it is very powerful one than even the mammogram and it is advantageous by using no compressions like in other screening methods including mammograms.
Elastography is the imaging technique that can differentiate the cancerous and non-cancerous growth of the breast and it requires no biopsy to find out the same. It is able to detect a cancerous growth without having a biopsy.
Fluid test: This is also an investigational screening test in which a minute tube is inserted inside the breast fluid duct and the fluid is taken outside and this fluid is screened for breast cancer cells. Aspiration method is one method, in which a fine needle is used to take out the fluid from the breast for screening the breast cancer cells. Breast biopsy is done by removing a small piece of tissue to test it under microscope for the presence of cancer. It is done by various methods from open surgery to fine needle method.
Prevention means lowering the incidence of breast cancer and thereby lowering the new cases of cancer in a group of population and eventually this will eradicate the numbers of death caused by cancer. There are risk factors which increase the chances of getting cancer and there are protective factors that decrease the chances of getting breast cancer.
The things to be noted in prevention of cancer.
- Risk factors like smoking to be avoided strictly.
- Things that is known familiar in causing the disease to be avoided.
- Change the lifestyle and eating habits to avoid cancer.
- Take medicine and adhere the instruction of the oncologist if the disease is in an initial stage.
