Any Nipple Dischargeparticularly Clear Discharge Or Bloody Discharge
It is also important to note that a milky discharge that is present when a woman is not breastfeeding should be checked by her doctor, although it is not linked with breast cancer.
Let your doctor know about any nipple discharge, clear, bloody or milky. The most concerning discharges are bloody or clear.
Symptoms Of Angiosarcoma Of The Breast
Another rare form of breast cancer, angiosarcoma forms inside the lymph and blood vessels. Only a biopsy may definitively diagnose this type of cancer. Angiosarcoma can cause changes to the skin of your breast, such as the development of purple-colored nodules that resemble a bruise. These nodules, if bumped or scratched, may bleed. Over time, these discolored areas may expand, making your skin appear swollen in that area. You may or may not have breast lumps with angiosarcoma. If you also have lymphedema, which is swelling caused by a buildup of lymphatic fluid, angiosarcoma may occur in the affected arm. Cancer treatment sometimes damages the lymph vessels, which may lead to lymphedema.
Common Breast Cancer Symptoms
The most common signs of breast cancer are new lumps in the breast. These are usually painless, hard masses. It is also possible for breast cancer tumors to be tender, soft, round, jagged, or painful. Because these lumps can take so many different forms, it is important to get any new lump checked out by your doctor.
Other common breast cancer symptoms include swelling, skin dimpling, pain in the breast or nipple, nipple inversion, irregular nipple discharge, swollen lymph nodes, and dry, red, flaky, or thickened skin on the breast or nipple. While these signs do not always point to cancer, you should still report them to your doctor.
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When Should I See A Doctor
If you notice any signs of breast cancer, no matter your age, you should report them to a doctor promptly. This is especially true if you find a new lump in your breast. While not all lumps are tumors and not all tumors are cancerous, it is much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your wellbeing. Take charge of your health and check regularly for breast cancer symptoms.
If you have signs of breast cancer and need a medical professionalâs opinion, BASS Medical Group is here to help. Its state of the art imaging center has both 2D and 3D mammography as well as breast MRI and breast ultrasounds. Between this leading technology and its elite doctor team, BASS Medical Group will have you in good hands throughout the entire screening and diagnosing process. Call 350-4044 to learn more or schedule an appointment.
Finding Support When Living With Breast Cancer
Learning you have breast cancer can be overwhelming, but youre not alone. You might find it helpful to connect with others who have been through the same thing or are going through it right now.
Your oncologist or treatment center can probably point you toward local resources. There are many types of support groups, so it may take a little time to find one thats a good fit. Here are a few organizations to get you started on your search.
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Types Of Breast Cancer
There are two categories that reflect the nature of breast cancer:
- Noninvasive cancer is cancer that hasnt spread from the original tissue. This is referred to as stage 0.
- Invasive cancer is cancer thats spread to surrounding tissues. These are categorized as stages 1, 2, 3, or 4, depending on how far it has spread.
The tissue affected determines the type of cancer. For example:
- Ductal carcinoma.Ductal carcinoma is a cancer that forms in the lining of the milk ducts. This is the most common type of breast cancer.
- Lobular carcinoma.Lobular carcinoma is cancer in the lobules of the breast. The lobules are where milk is produced.
- Sarcoma.This is cancer that starts in the breasts connective tissue.
- Angiosarcoma. This type starts in cells that line blood vessels or lymph vessels.
Breast cancer can also be categorized based on certain features, although early signs and symptoms are similar. Among them are.
Some types of breast cancer are more likely to present with symptoms other than a breast lump. For example:
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms
Unlike other breast cancers, inflammatory breast cancer rarely causes breast lumps and may not appear on a mammogram. Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms include:
- Red, swollen, itchy breast that is tender to the touch
- The surface of the breast may take on a ridged or pitted appearance, similar to an orange peel
- Heaviness, burning, or aching in one breast
- One breast is visibly larger than the other
- Inverted nipple
- No mass is felt with a breast self-exam
- Swollen lymph nodes under the arm and/or above the collarbone
- Symptoms unresolved after a course of antibiotics
Unlike other breast cancers, inflammatory breast cancer usually does not cause a distinct lump in the breast. Therefore, a breast self-exam, clinical breast exam, or even a mammogram may not detect inflammatory breast cancer. Ultrasounds may also miss inflammatory breast cancer. However, the changes to the surface of the breast caused by inflammatory breast cancer can be seen with the naked eye.
Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer can develop rapidly, and the disease can progress quickly. Any sudden changes in the texture or appearance of the breast should be reported to your doctor immediately.
For women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, redness, swelling, itchiness and soreness are often signs of a breast infection such as mastitis, which is treatable with antibiotics. If you are not pregnant or nursing and you develop these symptoms, your doctor should test for inflammatory breast cancer.
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Change In Size Shape Or Feel Of Your Breast
A cancer might cause your breast to look bigger or have a different shape than usual, it might feel different.
Many healthy women find that their breasts feel lumpy and tender just before their period.
It can help to be breast aware. This means getting to know the size, shape and feel of your breasts.
What Are The Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
If you have any symptoms that worry you, be sure to see your doctor right away.
Different people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Some people do not have any signs or symptoms at all.
Some warning signs of breast cancer are
- New lump in the breast or underarm .
- Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
- Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
- Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
- Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
- Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
- Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
- Pain in any area of the breast.
Keep in mind that these symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer.
If you have any signs or symptoms that worry you, be sure to see your doctor right away.
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Bse And Breast Awareness
Breast self-examination is a systematic method of regular self-inspection and palpation of the breast and axilla. Two large population-based randomized controlled trials in Russia and Shanghai followed up over a 5-year period could not demonstrate any beneficial effect of screening by BSE in terms of the size of primary tumor, incidence of lymph node involvement at detection, or cancer-related mortality. Several studies have shown that awareness regarding BSE is low and very few women practice it regularly.
At present, the emphasis is to raise breast cancer awareness among women and furthermore raise their knowledge about the warning signs of breast cancer. Breast cancer awareness programs have been very successful on several grounds including creation of greater compliance with breast cancer prevention and screening strategies. Being breast aware is currently defined as a woman becoming familiar with her own breasts and the way they change throughout her life. This enhances her sensitivity and alerts her to any abnormal change in the breast, at the earliest. The important warning signs to be looked for are as follows.
- Lump, thickening, continuous pain in one part of the breast.
- Change in size or lowering of one breast.
- Discharge from nipples, rashes over nipple, changes in shape or position of nipple, nipple inversion, any skin changes like puckering or dimpling.
- Swelling or pain under the armpit or around the collar bone
Cancer Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore
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In an effort to stay safe from coronavirus, many of us have put off the annual screenings and check-ups where cancers are often caught. That’s understandable. Still, early detection is one of the best weapons against the disease.
Screenings can detect a cancer before symptoms appear. You too can pick up on early warning signs by paying close attention to changes in your body. If you notice something new or different that lasts several weeks and several weeks is key reach out to your health care provider. Not every symptom that could be cancer is cancer. But here are 17 symptoms that may warrant a call to your doctor:
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Tumors In The Breast:
Breast cancers are formed from cells that form a tumor-like lump that can be seen in an x-ray report or felt over touch. Serving as one of the most common early symptoms of breast cancer in females, an individual usually visits a doctor on sighting a lump on their breast. But, it’s crucial to understand that not all breast lumps are malignant or cancerous.
A cancerous or malignant tumor may feel soft, rounded, and tender. It can occur anywhere in the breasts in some cases, and these lumps can be painful. As there is no natural cure for breast cancer yet, medical treatments have advanced and helped to remove, shrink or slow the growth and spread of such tumors with therapies.
There are certain factors, when triggered, cause breast cancers. According to doctors, breast cancers develop when breast cells begin to grow abnormally. The DNA in these breast cells then further mutate or change and disable certain specific functions that control the cell growth and division.
Generally, these mutated cells either die or are attacked and killed by the body’s immune system. But, some cells manage to escape and keep growing unchecked, thus forming lumps or tumors in the breast.
These growing cells then spread through your breast to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body.
Cancer most often begins within the cells in the milk-producing ducts or in the glandular tissue called lobules , or in other cells or tissues within the breast.
What To Do If You Spot A Possible Sign Of Breast Cancer
Dont panic. If you notice a change in your breast, it doesnt necessarily mean you have breast cancer. Some of these changes may be a result of benign, or non-cancerous, breast conditions, explains Dr. Duncan.
Still, if you notice any change at all, especially one occurring in only one breast, its a good idea to contact your doctor to get treatment started right away, if necessary.
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Surprising Signs And Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
For American women, breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer after skin cancer. On average, one in eight women and one in 1,000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.
Thanks to breast cancer awareness initiatives launched by charities including Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, most U.S. women and men know that if they, or a loved one, discover a lump in their breast, they should be screened for breast cancer. You may be surprised to learn theres a type of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer, accounting for less than 5% of all cases, that doesnt develop a lump. Instead, this type of cancer blocks the lymph vessels, causing fluids to back up and generating unusual symptoms including persistent breast itching, nipple discharge, and a mark that looks like an insect bite that doesnt go away.
What Does A Cancerous Lump In The Breast Feel Like
In general, cancerous lumps tend to be more irregular in shape. They may also feel firm or solid, and might be fixed to the tissue in the breast. However, in a small percentage of women, a painful breast lump turns out to be cancer. Cysts, which are fluid-filled lumps, are common in the breast and are benign.
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A Change In The Breast Or Nipple Appearance
- Any unexplained change in the size or shape of the breast
- Dimpling anywhere on the breast
- Unexplained swelling of the breast
- Unexplained shrinkage of the breast
- Recent asymmetry of the breasts. Although it is common for women to have one breast that is slightly larger than the other, if the onset of asymmetry is recent, it should be checked.
- Nipple that is turned slightly inward or inverted
- Skin of the breast, areola, or nipple that becomes scaly, red, or swollen or may have ridges or pitting resembling the skin of an orange
What Does The Pain Feel Like When You Have Breast Cancer
The feel of a breast lump depends on its cause, location, and growth. They can vary greatly from painful, hard, and immobile to soft, painless, and easily moveable. According to BreastCancer.org, lumps are most likely to be cancerous if they do not cause pain, are hard, unevenly shaped, and immobile.
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Invasive Breast Cancer Symptoms
Most breast cancers start in the ducts, or the tubes that carry milk to the nipple, or in the lobules, the little clusters of sacs where breast milk is made. Invasive breast cancer refers to breast cancer that spreads from the original site to other areas of the breast, the lymph nodes or elsewhere in the body. In these cancers that form in the ducts or lobules, invasive ductal carcinoma or invasive lobular carcinoma , the cancer spreads from the ducts or lobules to other tissue. Depending on the stage, you may notice symptoms.
Invasive breast cancer symptoms may include:
- A lump or mass in the breast
- Swelling of all or part of the breast, even if no lump is felt
- Skin irritation or dimpling
- A lump or swelling in the underarm lymph nodes
Early Warning Signs Of Breast Cancer
Common symptoms of breast cancer include:
- A lump in your breast or underarm that doesnât go away. This is often the first symptom of breast cancer. Your doctor can usually see a lump on a mammogram long before you can see or feel it.
- Swelling in your armpit or near your collarbone. This could mean breast cancer has spread to lymph nodes in that area. Swelling may start before you feel a lump, so let your doctor know if you notice it.
- Pain and tenderness, although lumps donât usually hurt. Some may cause a prickly feeling.
- A flat or indented area on your breast. This could happen because of a tumor that you canât see or feel.
- Breast changes such as a difference in the size, contour, texture, or temperature of your breast.
- Changes in your nipple, like one that:
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Symptoms Of Regional Recurrence
Symptoms of a regional recurrence may include:
- lumps in your lymph nodes under the arm or near the collarbone
- pain or loss of sensation in your arm or shoulder
- swelling in your arm on the same side as the original breast cancer
If youve had a mastectomy or other surgery related to breast cancer, you might get lumps or bumps caused by scar tissue in the reconstructed breast. This isnt cancer, but you should let your doctor know about them so they can be monitored.
As with any cancer, early detection and treatment are major factors in determining the outcome. Breast cancer is easily treated and usually curable when detected in the earliest stages.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, according to the World Health Organization . Whether youre concerned about breast pain or tenderness, its important to stay informed on risk factors and warning signs of breast cancer.
The best way to fight breast cancer is early detection. Talk with your doctor about when you should start breast cancer screening.
If youre worried that your breast pain or tenderness could be something serious, make an appointment with your doctor today. If you find a lump in your breast see your doctor.
When To See A Physician
In general, you should see a physician if you find a new breast lump or breast tissue that feels different from what youve felt before. Even if you were diagnosed with a benign breast lump in the past, dont automatically assume that a new lump is also benign. It may be, but its best to find out for sure.
If you would like to discuss your symptoms with a breast cancer specialist in the Don & Erika Wallace Comprehensive Breast Program at Moffitt Cancer Center, you can request an appointment by calling or completing a new patient registration form online.
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