Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Do you know what the signs and symptoms of breast cancer are? If not, and you are a women, you could be putting your life on the line. Many people mistakenly believe cancer will not happen to them, and often this is the biggest mistake to make. You do not have to have a family member that has suffered through this disease to go through it yourself. You do not have to have a bad lifestyle, smoke or even work in a factory to get this type of cancer. In fact, it targets millions of people every year without any warning at all. Knowing the breast cancer symptoms can save your life.

Sometimes breast cancer is very hard to detect. Not all cancers will actually have symptoms that present themselves to you. The best way to know if these cancers are present then is through testing. As you age, you are more likely to develop breast cancer, which means that you should be tested for breast cancer often once you are at menopause and beyond. Doctors recommended the first screenings for breast cancer to happen at the age of 35 to 40, depending on your age.

Before this time, you should still have doctor examinations that could point out any lumps in the tissue or other worrisome conditions. Once you reach an older age, you'll need doctors to do full screenings on you, including tests like mammograms, which will take pictures of your breast and pinpoint any problems that may exist. Even if you have no breast cancer symptoms, you still need to have these tests done after you reach this age to help you improve your chances of detection.

Sometimes, there are breast cancer signs. These signs will range widely based on the type of situation you are in as well as the overall size of the cancer in your body. Some symptoms of breast cancer include:

Lumps in the breasts that are not normal, or are present throughout the month (your breast may have some small lumps in it at some times during the month because of your menstrual cycle.)
The skin around your breast and on your breast may swell, which is showing the signs of inflammation as well as the lumps themselves, in some cases.
Pain in the breast area which may be the result of the overall lump an inflammation.

If you feel that you could be experiencing any of these symptoms of breast cancer, you'll need to talk to your doctor about it as soon as possible. Doctors will perform a number of tests in order to make a diagnosis. It is not always easy to make these decisions from first exams, which is very frustrating for many women. Nevertheless, you'll need to have the right information when it comes to breast cancer.

When a diagnosis is made and you have been told you have breast cancer, you and your doctors will determine the best treatments for breast cancer. This process can sometimes take some time as well. Yet, through treatment you can beat the cancer and get on with your life.

Talk to your doctor about any signs and symptoms of breast cancer that you may have. The sooner you talk to them about the condition, the sooner you can get help for it. Best of all, most cases of potential breast cancer are not going to actually be it. Give yourself self checks each month and you'll be well on your way to protecting yourself from the onset of cancer. Doctors will be happy to show you the proper way to give yourself these check ups.

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Main Menu

Basics

Breast Cancer Statistics