How To See If You Have Breast Cancer

Grade Of Breast Cancer

The grade describes the appearance of the cancer cells.

• Low grade the cells, although abnormal, appear to be growing slowly.
• Medium grade the cells look more abnormal than low-grade cells.
• High grade the cells look even more abnormal and are more likely to grow quickly.

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How To Find Out If You Have Dense Breasts

In the United States, 37 states and Washington, D.C., require breast imaging centers to give women some level of information about breast density after their mammogram. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began to develop a single national reporting standard imaging centers can use to notify both the woman and her doctor about her breast density. However, this hasnt yet been implemented.4

Federal law requires that all women receive a letter notifying them about the results of their mammogram. In most states, this form letter now also tells you if you have dense breasts, and, in some states, your specific density category. However, the content of the letter varies widely by state and may not include specific details about your situation. Most of the letters will advise you to discuss your results with your doctor. Your breast density is also included in the final mammography report to your healthcare provider, prepared by the radiologist who read the images. If you live outside the United States, you may or may not be notified about your breast density, depending on the regulations in your country. DenseBreast-info.org is a good resource for finding out what the laws are where you live.

Having dense breasts isnt your fault, and it isnt something you can control. Breast density is thought to be inherited in part, although the amount of dense breast tissue you have can change over time. Breast density can decrease as you go through menopause.

Implants Can Hide Breast Cancer On A Screening Mammogram

The X-rays used in mammograms dont sufficiently penetrate saline or silicone. So, depending on where a cancer is located, it can be tougher to find on a mammogram.

It is manageable; we do it all the time, it definitely makes things a little trickier, Dr. Baker says.

In the same Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery study above, the rate of cancer detection by screening mammography was actually lower for women with implants versus women without implants .

Despite the limitations of mammography screening in women with implants, Dr. Patel says their survival is no different: The outcome in patients that do develop breast cancer, even with implants, is the same as those without implants.

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There Are Also Visual Features

Visual inspection is also important in breast cancer self-examination and the ideal way to do it is to stand in front of the mirror with your torso naked and your arms at your sides, indicates the MayoClinic organization.

Experts suggest looking closely for wrinkles, dimples, or changes in size, shape, and symmetry. Supervision should also be done with the hands on the hips and with the arms raised above the head, while the palms of the hands press together.

Likewise, it is advisable to subject the movements to different levels of pressure, use the fingertips, follow a specific pattern to cover the entire area and take the necessary time. It is prudent to see a specialist if there are lumps near the armpit, itching, a sensation of heat or bloody discharge from the nipple.

This article is designed to be informative and is not intended to provide medical advice or solutions. Always ask your doctor or specialist if you have questions about your health or before starting treatment.

All about Quality of Life

Additional Screening May Be Necessary

Mammography remains the tool of choice for breast cancer screening. But sometimes doctors recommend additional imaging.

Usually we only do ultrasound screening for women who are high risk or women who have dense breast tissue, Dr. Baker explains. But if the radiologist has trouble seeing breast tissue because of implants, a screening ultrasound is a consideration.

Ultrasound is not a substitute for mammography, he adds, because each yields different information. Mammography picks up tiny calcium deposits that can be a precursor to breast cancer, while ultrasound does not. Ultrasound may reveal a small mass hidden by the implant that mammography cannot detect.

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Stage 3 Breast Cancer

• Stage 3A:
• The cancer has spread to 49 axillary lymph nodes or has enlarged the internal mammary lymph nodes, and the primary tumor can be any size.
• Tumors are greater than 5 cm, and the cancer has spread to 13 axillary lymph nodes or any breastbone nodes.

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How Do I Avoid A Misdiagnosis

Patients should always stay informed about their health and know what age-based screening tests are required, as well as what screenings they should have based on various risk factors. It is also important to be direct with your doctor and communicate any symptoms you may have that could be a sign of breast cancer, and make sure your concerns are taken seriously and addressed.

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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Breast Cancer

The signs and symptoms of breast cancer include

• A new lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the armpit
• A change in the size or shape of the breast
• A dimple or puckering in the skin of the breast. It may look like the skin of an orange.
• A nipple turned inward into the breast
• Nipple discharge other than breast milk. The discharge might happen suddenly, be bloody, or happen in only one breast.
• Scaly, red, or swollen skin in the nipple area or the breast
• Pain in any area of the breast

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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How Breast Cancer Spreads And Recurs

• Treatment and Outlook

Breast cancer is frightening enough without the fear that it could travel to other parts of the body. Metastasis is the term for the spread of cancer.;About 250,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and roughly 40,000 will die from the disease each year. When breast cancer is diagnosed in the early stages, many women go on to live cancer-free lives.

Yet for others, the disease is metastatic at the time of diagnosis or later recurs. It’s thought that metastatic disease is responsible for around 66% of the deaths related to breast cancer. How does breast cancer spread or recur?

Is A Mastectomy My Only Option

A mastectomy is just one of several treatment options for breast cancer. Depending on the stage of the cancer, other options can include a lumpectomy, which only removes the cancerous tissue and a small portion of healthy tissue rather than the entire breast, lymph node removal, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and biological therapy. Some treatment options are more aggressive than others, so your team of healthcare professionals will be able to provide you with the best option for your cancer based on its stage and your health. Clinical trials also serve as an option, but there is no guaranteed success, and the side effects may be greater than those from standard treatment.

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Further Tests For Breast Cancer

If a diagnosis of breast cancer is confirmed, more tests will be needed to determine the stage and grade of the cancer, and to work out the best method of treatment.;

If;your;cancer was detected through the NHS Breast Screening Programme, you’ll have further tests in the screening centre before being referred for treatment.;

Extracellular Matrix Degradation In Cancer

Cell-cell and cell-ECM matrix adhesion, motility, and localised proteolysis are mediated mainly by matrix metalloproteases . Degradation of the extracellular matrix begins the process of metastasis. The cell develops structures called invadopodia, which are highly concentrated in several proteases and have a highly dynamic actincytoskeleton.

Mechanisms of metalloprotease action in cell motility involve:

• Proteolytic cleavage of growth factors, so they are readily available to cells not in direct physical contact
• Degradation of the ECM is facilitated by MMPs, so cells can move across tissues into nearby stroma.
• Regulated receptor cleavage to modulate migratory signaling

Most of these processes require a delicate balance between the functions of matrix metalloproteases or metalloprotease-disintegrins and natural tissue inhibitors of metalloproteases . Regulated proteolysis is an important mechanism to maintain homeostasis. There is increased expression of protease systems in cancer cells, to equip them with the tools necessary to degrade the extracellular matrix and release growth factors or transmembranereceptors. MMP-2 is upregulated in the bone, and increased levels of MMP-1 and MMP-19 are observed in the brain. This in turn, upregulates the signaling pathways necessary to provide increased cell adhesion, cell motility, cell migration, invasion, cancer- cell proliferation and survival.

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Central Nervous System Metastases

Clinically symptomatic CNS metastases are reported in 10â15% of patients with metastatic breast cancer; in large autopsy studies, up to 40% of women who died of metastatic breast cancer were reported to have at least one brain metastasis. CNS metastases are often viewed by patients and doctors as a late complication of metastatic breast cancer for which few effective treatments exist. In most cases, CNS involvement occurs after metastatic dissemination to the bones, liver and/or lungs has already occurred; for that reason, many patients already have refractory, terminal breast cancer by the time they are diagnosed with brain metastases. The diagnosis of brain metastases from breast cancer relies mainly on patient-reported symptoms and neuroimaging. The role of imaging in patients with suspected brain metastases is a very good modality to aid in diagnosis. According to Weil et al., 2005, neuroimaging such as Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging prove to be very effective in the diagnosis of brain and central nervous system metastases.

Symptoms of brain metastases from breast cancer are:

• new-onset headache
• cranial neuropathy, which may cause diplopia and Bell’s palsy
• vomiting and nausea
• deficits in sensation, motor function, and speech

How Can I Detect My Breast Cancer Early

The best way for young women to find breast cancer early is to be breast self-aware. Become familiar with your breasts: their shape, size and what they feel like. Learn what is normal for you. Sometimes your breasts may change throughout your monthly cycle. If you are pregnant or nursing, your breasts will change even more dramatically. If you find anything unusual, see your doctor immediately and insist on a diagnosis. In general, women should have a yearly clinical breast examination by a doctor beginning at age 20 and start having annual mammograms beginning at age 45.

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Your Armpit Lymph Nodes Are Swollen

Most people are always looking for bumps in their breasts, but don’t forget to check your lymph nodes for swelling, too. “Many patients who end up diagnosed with breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes have no symptoms in the breast, no changes in the structure of the breast, but they come in for a consult because they feel something under their arm,” says Alvarez. “This may mean that cancer from the breast has traveled to the lymph nodes, and now there is lymph node invasion.”

What Are The Warning Signs Of Breast Cancer

• A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle.
• A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea.
• A change in the size, shape, or contour of the breast.
• A blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from the nipple.
• A change in the look or feel of the skin on the breast or nipple .
• Redness of the skin on the breast or nipple.
• An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast.
• A marble-like hardened area under the skin.

These changes may be found when performing monthly breast self-exams. By performing breast self-exams, you can become familiar with the normal monthly changes in your breasts.

Breast self-examination should be performed at the same time each month, three to five days after your menstrual period ends. If you have stopped menstruating, perform the exam on the same day of each month.

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Is Family History Of Breast Cancer Important

Yes. While only 5-10% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history, it is important to know your family’s history of cancer, if any, both on your mother’s side and your father’s side. Women with at least one close family relative should start a screening program with a breast specialist when they are ten years younger than their relative’s age at diagnosis, but usually not before 20 years old.

Establishing A Breast Cancer Healthcare Team

Patients should form a care team to ensure complete care is provided upon receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. Whether it is through emotional support or medical procedures, establishing a team that can help a patient’s treatment and recovery journey from all angles is essential in the process. Members of this team can include:

• Primary care doctor
• Plastic surgeon
• Patient navigator

This team of individuals can provide quality care, whether it be through counseling or medical procedures, along with the comfort that patients will need during a critical time in their lives. If a patient must undergo a double mastectomy to prevent the cancer from spreading, post-cancer treatment such as breast reconstruction surgery may be necessary and may require another doctor and specialist. Depending on the severity of the prognosis, a team of palliative care or spiritual support providers may be needed throughout the process to help support both patients and their families.

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Second Opinions For Breast Cancer

Detecting breast cancer can be a complicated process, so health professionals always encourage patients to undergo different tests and get a second opinion prior to beginning any treatment to ensure an accurate diagnosis. Breast tumors and other abnormalities aren’t always cancerous, so breast imaging tests, like mammograms and breast MRI’s, examine deep breast tissue and are necessary to properly diagnose cancer. A second opinion can also help patients determine the best path for treatment, as different specialists can provide different insights for treatment options. Patients should keep records of all visits and diagnoses to maintain evidence for a malpractice lawsuit if a misdiagnosis occurs.

Your Breast Shape Has Changed

There are many different reasons your breasts change their shape over the years, whether it’s due to pregnancy or your age. Be aware of these changes and make sure to bring them up to your doctor, though, because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it could also be a subtle warning sign for breast cancer. And for more helpful information,;.

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Being Your Own Advocate

While there arent currently any studies looking at self-advocacy and survival, being your own advocate cant hurt in maximizing your survival. Oncology is changing rapidly and its difficult for any oncologisteven those who specialize in breast cancerto stay aware of all of the latest research and clinical trials taking place.

It can be helpful to research your cancer yourself. Becoming involved via social media such as Twitter is also an excellent way to learn about the latest research, using the hashtag #bcsm, which stands for breast cancer social media.

Getting a second opinion can be helpful as well, especially from one of the larger cancer centers such as a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.

There are ways to learn about opportunities, however, that dont require traveling for opinions. There are now clinical trial matching services in which a nurse navigator can help to match your particular tumor and characteristics with clinical trials in progress all over the world.

Several of the larger cancer centers are now also offering remote second opinions, in which an oncology team can review your medical information and talk to you on the phone about whether there are any opportunities for treatment for you that may not be available elsewhere.