Can Getting Hit In The Breast Cause Breast Cancer

Do Underwire Bras Cause Breast Cancer

Underwire bras do not increase your risk of breast cancer.

There have been some concerns that the wires in the cup of underwire bras may restrict the flow of lymph fluid in the breast causing toxins to build up in the area. However, theres no reliable evidence to support this.

If your bra is too tight or too small, the wires can dig into your breasts and cause discomfort, pain or swelling. Find out more about wearing a well-fitting bra.

Myth: Carrying Your Cell Phone In Your Bra Can Cause Breast Cancerfact: There Is No Evidence Of A Connection Between Cell Phones And Breast Cancer But The Safety Of Cell Phones Is Still Being Studied

Media reports have raised concerns that carrying a cell phone in your bra might increase breast cancer risk. There have been some cases of younger women developing breast cancer after habitually carrying their cell phones in their bras. In 2013, the Dr. Oz Show further fueled these concerns by warning women never to carry their cell phones in their bras.

The research simply isnt there to support this claim, though. To date, most studies have focused on whether the radiofrequency radiation given off by cell phones can increase the risk of brain tumors. This research hasnt found a link, but the issue is still being studied.

Still, cell phone manufacturers often do recommend keeping your device away from your body as much as possible. Although there is no proven breast cancer link, you may wish to avoid wearing your cellphone in your bra or chest pocket until more research is available.

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Outlook For Breast Cancer In Men

The outlook for breast cancer in men varies depending on how far it has spread by the time it’s diagnosed.

It may be possible to cure breast cancer if it’s found early.

A cure is much less likely if the cancer is found after it has spread beyond the breast. In these cases, treatment can relieve your symptoms and help you live longer.

Speak to your breast care nurse if you’d like to know more about the outlook for your cancer.

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Other Indications That It Might Be Cancer

You know that a lump may be a sign of breast cancer. But some types, like inflammatory breast cancer, dont usually cause a lump. So, its worth knowing other signs and symptoms of breast cancer, such as:

• swelling around your breast, armpit, or collarbone
• dimpling of your skin, which can resemble an orange peel
• red or discolored, dry, flaky, or thickening skin on your breast or nipple
• unusual nipple discharge, especially blood
• the nipple is turning inward
• any change in size or shape of a breast
• pain

If cancer has advanced beyond your breast, symptoms may include:

• unexplained weight loss
• shortness of breath
• bone pain

Symptoms in men are very much the same. Of course, having one or more symptoms doesnt mean you have breast cancer, but the only way to know for certain is to call a doctor as quickly as possible.

Breast cancer is most common in people who:

• are female
• with age, especially after 50
• have a personal or family history of breast cancer
• have their first period before 12 years old or menopause after 55 years old
• experience physical inactivity

common among premenopausal women. It can cause fibrous lumps and cysts. These lumps may increase in size and tenderness before your period and decrease after.

Breast cysts are fluid-filled sacs that are typically smooth and round. They may or may not feel tender. A milk retention cyst is called a galactocele.

Other benign breast lumps include:

When Should I Consult My Primary Care Physician Or Obgyn

It is important to talk to your doctor about your concerns! A lump, breast pain that is new or different, or other breast changes should always be discussed with your doctor. Depending on your symptoms, your medical provider may suggest additional tests, such as a mammogram, breast biopsy, or other ways to determine the cause of the pain.

Talk to your doctor if you are worried if the pain does not improve or you notice any of these signs:

• Your doctor will want to know more about the pain for further evaluation
• You have a lump
• You have redness, swelling, or drainage from the area
• You have nipple discharge
• Your breast pan is not clearly associated with your menstrual cycle or lasts more than two weeks
• Your breast pain is just in one spot and does not involve the whole breast
• Your breast pain keeps getting worse
• The pain is affecting your life and limiting what you can do
• Any new breast symptoms
• Pain that might be related to implants
• Bruise that doesnt go away

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When To See Your Gp

See your GP if you have:

• a lump in your breast
• any other worrying symptoms, such as nipple discharge
• a history of breast cancer in members of your family and you’re worried about your chances of getting it

It’s very unlikely you have cancer, but it’s best to get your symptoms checked. Your GP will examine your breast and can refer you for tests and scans for breast cancer if needed.

If you do not have symptoms but have a clear family history of breast cancer, your GP may refer you to a genetic specialist to discuss your risk of getting it.

There are some inherited genes that increase your risk of cancer and a blood test can be done to check for these. Read about testing for cancer risk genes.

Treatments For Breast Cancer In Men

The treatment for breast cancer in men depends on how far the cancer has spread.

Possible treatments include:

• surgery to remove the affected breast tissue and nipple and some of the glands in your armpit
• radiotherapy where radiation is used to kill cancer cells
• chemotherapy where cancer medicine is used to kill cancer cells
• other medicines that help stop breast cancer growing including tamoxifen and trastuzumab

Many men have surgery followed by 1 or more of the other treatments. This can help stop the cancer coming back in the future.

Read more about treatments for breast cancer in men.

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Could Breast Pain Mean It Is Cancer

Breast pain is rarely a sign of breast cancer. Its unusual for breast cancer to cause pain, but possible. Inflammatory breast cancer often causes pain but its rare, accounting for 1% to 5% of breast cancer cases in the United States. Symptoms of this aggressive disease often come on suddenly and progress rapidly. Inflammatory breast cancer may cause the breast to become red or discolored, swollen or feel heavy, painful, skin on the breast may also thicken or dimple. If you are concerned about inflammatory breast cancer, see your doctor immediately.

Effect Of Hormonal Changes On Breasts

As women develop from pre-puberty through puberty, pregnancy and to menopause, the breasts will be affected by a variety of fluctuations in hormones.

During puberty, hormones produced by the ovaries cause growth and development of the breast. After puberty, the hormones oestrogen and progesterone will change throughout a womans monthly menstrual cycle. This may cause women to have swollen or tender breasts at different times of the month.

During pregnancy the body will produce additional oestrogen and progesterone, which trigger further growth and development of the breast to prepare mothers for breastfeeding.

Around the time of menopause , the ovaries stop producing female hormones including oestrogen. Without oestrogen, the breast tissue decreases in size. After menopause , monthly menstrual periods stop.

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I Am Breastfeeding And It Is Causing Breast Tenderness Why

Breastfeeding can sometimes be the source of breast pain. Some of the things you can experience while nursing include:

• Painful nipples from an improper latch
• Discomfort from a blocked milk duct
• The tingling sensation during letdown
• Nipple soreness due to being bitten or having dry, cracked skin or an infection

If you have pain while breastfeeding, it is best to talk to your doctor or a lactation consultant. They can help you troubleshoot the problem while maintaining your milk supply.

Breastfeeding women are most likely to get breast infections , but infections occasionally may occur in all women. If you have a breast infection, you may have a fever and symptoms in one breast, including redness and swelling. A breast infection will need to be evaluated by a doctor and treated right away .

Can Wearing Bra Cause Breast Cancer

The authors suggest that bras can compress the lymphatic system of the breast, causing toxins to become trapped in the breast tissue to cause cancer. The overall consensus among doctors is that neither the type of bra worn nor the tightness of undergarments has any connection to the risk of breast cancer.

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Facts You Should Know About Breast Lumps In Women

• Breast lumps can be caused by infections, injuries, non-cancerous growths, and cancer.
• Breast cancer usually causes no pain in the breast. The symptoms of breast cancer include painless breast lumps, nipple discharge, and inflammation of the skin of the breast.
• The chances that a particular breast lump could be cancerous depends on many factors, including past medical history, physical examination, as well as genetic and other risk factors.
• The only way to be certain that a lump is not cancerous is to have a tissue sampling . There are several ways to do the biopsy. The treatment of a breast lump depends on its cause.

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Traumatic Breast Injuries: When To Worry When To Wait

Your breast can suffer a physical injury just like any other part of your anatomy. What kind of breast injury is serious enough to see a doctor? And can a breast injury lead to problems down the road even breast cancer?

My little brother punched me in the boob and it hurts a lot. Should I worry?

I was in a fender-bender, and the seatbelt really cut into my chest. Now I have a bruise. Should I see a doctor?

My basketball team was playing a really rough game, and I got elbowed in the breast going up for a rebound. That was a month ago now I feel a lump. What is it?

When you scrape your shin, bruise your thigh, or accidentally cut your finger, you dont really think too much about it, do you? Sure, it hurts but given time, itll heal. Its only a .

But somehow, an injury to your breast feels different. Not physically a bruise is a bruise, and a breast bruise hurts just like one on your kneecap. But mentally emotionally breast injuries can be worrisome.

If youre a younger woman, you might worry about the effect of potential scarring on your love life, or your ability to nurse a baby. If older, youve automatically got breast cancer on your mind: can an injury lead to cancer?

Lets examine what happens when your breast suffers blunt trauma the official medical term for a forceful injury to the breast.

Trauma can occur from a blow. Younger women sometimes contact us here to ask if their pesky little brother punching them is dangerous.

Can Squeezing Or Being Hit In The Breast Cause Cancer

An injury, such as falling or being hit in the chest, will not cause breast cancer. Squeezing or pinching the breast or nipple will not cause breast cancer either.

It may cause bruising and swelling to the breast, which can be tender or painful to touch.

Sometimes an injury can lead to a benign lump known as fat necrosis. This is scar tissue that can form when the body naturally repairs the damaged fatty breast tissue.

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What Does A Breast Cyst Look Like

Signs and symptoms of a breast cyst include: A smooth, easily movable round or oval lump that may have smooth edges which typically, though not always, indicates its benign. Nipple discharge that may be clear, yellow, straw colored or dark brown. Breast pain or tenderness in the area of the breast lump.

Sore Breasts Before Your Period

One symptom of premenstrual syndrome is the swelling and tenderness of the breasts. Pain can range in severity, though its usually on the lower end of the spectrum.

What causes it? During the hormonal changes cause by menstruation, oestrogen activates the breast ducts to enlarge and progesterone triggers the milk glands to swell . How can you ease breast pain before your period? If youre finding that over-the-counter painkillers arent working for this cyclical type of breast pain, you should see your GP for more options. Your doctor might recommend diuretics or oral contraceptives to help ease more severe pre-period breast pain.

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How Can You Stop Breast Pain

If you experience bleeding in the breast area, you should see a doctor immediately. A surgeon will have to stop the blood loss, preventing it from becoming too severe.

If the problem isnt as severe, you can do a few things before seeing the doctor.

Rest and recovery are the two most important things when injuries are concerned, and you need to do them properly to recover quickly. After having an injury, it is a good idea to do some of the following:

• Applying a cold pack to the area with the injury for 15 minutes soon after it has taken place will soothe the pain.
• Inflammatory healers that can be purchased from pharmacies are also helpful in reducing the agony felt.
• Wearing bras that have increased support is key for minimizing excessive movement of the breast during the recovery period.

Talking to a doctor is always a good idea if you have intense pain that doesnt seem to be stopping.

Breast Cancer Symptoms: What You Need To Know

Finding breast cancer early usually makes it easier to treat. Along with getting regular screening mammograms, being aware of how your breasts look and feel is an important part of early detection. Some breast cancer signs are detected best by mammogram. Other signs may be more eaily seen as changes in how the breasts look or feel.

It is important to know that not all changes in the breasts are cancer. Benign breast conditions are much more common than breast cancer. But it is important to let your health care team know about any changes in your breast so they can be looked into.

Below are some common breast symptoms that should be checked right away.

• By Stephanie Watson, Executive Editor, Harvard Womens Health Watch

When my mother was treated for breast cancer several years ago, she had just one objective in mind: to eradicate the cancer. For her, radiation therapy was the best way to do that.

Radiation, on its own or coupled with other treatments, has given many women like my mother the chance to survive their breast cancer. Yet years later, some of these women are encountering a residual side effect from their radiationheart disease.

A new research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicineestimates that the increased lifetime risk for a heart attack or other major heart event in women whove had breast cancer radiation is between 0.5% and 3.5%. The risk is highest among women who get radiation to the left breastunderstandable, since thats where the heart is located.

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What Are The Symptoms

The most common symptoms of breast cancer in men are

• A lump or swelling in the breast.
• Redness or flaky skin in the breast.
• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
• Nipple discharge.
• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.

These symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer. If you have any symptoms or changes, see your doctor right away.

Mammogram Findings With Breast Cancer

As with your clinical exam, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between a benign process in the breast and breast cancer. In fact, sometimes these can completely overlap . Mammograms are thought to be 60% to 90% sensitive, which means that 60% to 90% of the time if a cancer is present, the mammogram will find it. Mammograms have a specificity of 93%. This means that 93% of the time, something that looks strongly like a cancer on a mammogram will be cancer. This means that 7% of the time when a mammogram strongly suggests cancer, it is something else.

Mammogram findings that suggest cancer include breast calcifications, masses with an irregular shape, and a spiculated mass . Radiologists give a mammogram a number known as the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System or BI-RADS classification. In this system, a mammogram report is given a number between 1 and 6 describing the likelihood of cancer. A number of 1 means there are no signs of cancer and a number of 5 means the mammogram is highly suggestive of cancer .

The average recall rate from a screening mammogram is 9.8%, meaning that almost 10% of women who have a mammogram will be called back to do other studies. Of these women, 12% will need a biopsy done. Of these biopsies, 60% will be benign. In other words, even if you have an abnormal mammogram, and even if follow-up studies recommend you have a biopsy done, you are still more likely to have a benign breast process than cancer.

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