Are You Looking For The Symptoms Of Breast Cancer ?
In this article, we are going to discuss about the symptoms of breast cancer, its causes and prevention. As we all know how deadly the breast cancer is, not just in its horryfing symptoms of breast cancer but also as it is the second on the top reasons of death due to cancer.
The developed technology and science is now still helping a lot in saving many lives from these death invitations. The chance of any women observing symptoms of breast cancer is high. Awareness of the symptoms of breast cancer and the need for screening are important ways of reducing risk.
What is Breast Cancer?
At a certain age when a girl attains the puberty, she becomes physically matured, her monthly menses starts and her breasts grow bigger with concentrating more fat on it, which later comes in use to breast-feed their baby, at the time of delivery.
The breasts externally shows the nipple that are the outlet for milk to the baby. Inside, it is composed of the ducts and lobules that produce milk as the food of the infant and ducts to pass them to nipples.
If we talk about the types of cancer in the breast, they comprise in these two parts only:
- The Ductal Carcinoma – cancer happening in the milk duct in the breasts.
- The Lobular Carcinoma – This type of cancer starts in the lobules of the breast. These are less common.
Now, according to the way these cancer appear and spread; they are of two types:
- The Invasive breast cancer is caused when the cancer cells spread from the parts of the breasts (lobules and ducts) and enter to other parts and organs also.
- While,the Non-invasive Breast Cancer occurs in the form of a breast lump, and then into a breast tumor which doesn’t spread into other parts.
- What are the main Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
Every lady needs to understand the signs of breast cancer, and any type of abnormality should not be ignored. Most of the women who have the initial symptoms of breast cancer may notice lumps or redness on the nipples or surrounding region. If you do spot any unusual changes to your breasts as symptoms of breast cancer, you should get them checked them out by your doctor.
If we try to find out the symptoms of breast cancer, then initially we could find some areas that have thickened tissues in the breast, known to be the breast lump; these lumps further grow into breast tumor.
If you ever notice some unusual changes in the breast like asymmetry or breast lump, don’t ignore them. You may notice some abnormal symptoms of breast cancer; go for a checkup to your doctor.
Some main symptoms of breast cancer that can easily help you identify the disease are:
The Breast Lump
The first known symptoms of breast cancer are breast lump forming in the breast. It can be felt easily as it comes up to the surface of the skin. The breast lump can be diagnosed through the Mammography.
The armpit swelling
Due to the growth of tumor, there can be swelling in the armpit as the symptoms of breast cancer.
Pain in the breast and surrounding areas
The pain and tender breast are the common symptoms of breast cancer.
Flattening of the breast
The flattening of the breast shows the symptoms of breast cancer, i.e., there is a breast tumor that is not visible on the surface.
When the symmetry, size or contour of the breasts start changing
Any type of changes in the symmetry, size, or the shape of the breast indicates presence of a breast tumor inside.
Itching in the Nipple or the breasts
An uncontrollable itching all the time, it’s among the symptoms of breast cancer.
Dimpling of the breasts
The dimpling in the breasts or nipples as well as scaling of the breast skin are the severe symptoms of breast cancer. You immediately need a checkup.
When the nipples continuously leak
The nipples if infected with cancer continuously leaks out a liquid, that may be have blood or transparent.
There are more symptoms of breast cancer to be noticed:
- Under the skin of the breast if you notice some smoothness, it can be the symptoms of breast cancer.
- When there is a consistent pain in the breasts and the armpits that grows severe and never stops, it indicates the symptoms of breast cancer.
- Moreover, the rashes on the breast or around the nipples are also the symptoms of breast cancer.
To know and understand the symptoms of breast cancer is vital for every woman. Almost every time 1 out of 10 in women arises to be a breast cancer patient.
Causes of Breast Cancer
These symptoms of breast cancer happen due to certain reasons. The exact causes of breast cancer are still unclear, but some risk factors make it more likely.
- Age: The chances of risk of breast cancer is higher in older women than the younger ones. The symptoms of breast cancer develops more likely when the age is 30 or above.
- Genetics: the family history may also cause the symptoms of breast cancer to occur, if it is in your genes.
- The Density of the Breast Tissue: those who comprise higher dense tissue in their bodies are more likely to suffer from the breast cancer.
- Exposure to Estrogen: The higher the exposure to estrogen, the higher is the risk of Breast cancer stages to develop. This mostly happens in menopause as well. Breast-feeding, after 1 year, also reduces the risk of symptoms of breast cancer to appear.
- Body Weight: Obesity in women takes place more frequently after menopause, which can tend to more of the occurence of symptoms of breast cancer. Those who consume more sugar are also fueling up breast cancer.
- Alcohol Consumption: The more is the alcohol consumption the more easily symptoms of breast cancer may appear in women.
- Radiation Exposure: any kind of expposure to the high energy radiation causes the higher risk of breast cancer to happen.
- Hormone treatments: the more is the use of hormone treatments or taking oral birth control pills, the more is the risk of the symptoms of breast cancer to occur.
- Cosmetic breast implants or surgeries: The women, mostly of the glamour world who undergo such breast implants or surgeries, which is the main cause of the breast cancer.
How to prevent the Symptoms of Breast Cancer from appearing?
We can avoid some of the causes of breast cancer by simply following some of the prevention tips. Breast cancer awareness should increase among the ladies all around the world. This article on the symptoms of breast cancer will surely help you in that.
Regular exercises and a proper diet help avoiding the causes of breast cancer. There are several ways to avoid the symptoms of breast cancer.
Different ways to prevent breast cancer stages are:
- Say no to alcohol and smoking.
- Changing lifestyle or eating habits.
- Avoiding things known to cancer.
- Taking medicine to treat precancerous condition or to keep cancer from starting.
- Avoiding the different types of breast implants and surgeries.
- increase breast-feeding your baby.
Apart from the preventive measures you need to know about how the cancerous cells spread over, in the different parts of the breasts and other organs as well.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
- Tissue: the cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas, causing the symptoms of breast cancer. It invades into the other regions of the breast or its connecting ducts.
- Lymph System: here the cancerous cells spread from the breast to other parts during the late breast cancer stages. The cancer spreads by getting into the lymph system, the cancer travels through lymph vessels to other parts of the body.
- Blood: the cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the blood; the cancerous cells travel through the blood vessels to other parts of the body.
How to diagnose the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
Whenever we notice the symptoms of breast cancer in our body, a doubt arises in our mind and we start living with that. This is something in which ladies have got the expertise of. 😉
At such doubts, you need to work on it, go for tests to examine the symptoms of breast cancer.
Tests for examination are:
- Physical exam and history shows the general signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
- Clinical breast exam is also the technique that a doctor performs to diagnose, if there are breast lumps, or breast pain somewhere in the breasts and under the arms of the patient.
- Mammogram is an X-ray of the breast.
- Ultrasound exam help in diagnosing if there are lumps or any abnormal growth in the breast, indicating the symptoms of breast cancer.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is performed to check if the patient has any symptoms of breast cancer.
- Blood chemistry studies help in checking the presence of tumorous cells in the blood of the patient, so the doctors ask for the blood sample test to check the same.
- Biopsy – It is the method in which a part of tissue is removed from the infected organ to check the if the symptoms of breast cancer are true.
After all the diagnosis, if the report confirms Breast Cancer, then there are many options of treatment, that the doctor may tell you. Below is an overview of it.
Options for Treatment of Breast Cancer
There are different types of treatment for patients with breast cancer.
Five types of Standard treatments are there:
- Surgery – it cures the tumor in the breast cancer stages.
- Radiation therapy – it also treats the tumor in the breasts of the patient.
- Chemotherapy – this method uses, high dose drugs to treat the malignant type of cancer. This depends upon the type and breast cancer stages.
- Hormone therapy – this therapy is some more or less similar to chemotherapy, where instead of high dose drugs the hormone that stimulates the growth of breast tissue increases, or to reduce and cease the growth of tumor.
- Targeted therapy – it may be single way or combined treatment, which cures the target tumor, one at a time.
All we have discussed about the symptoms of breast cancer, its causes, prevention, and treatments. But the most important thing we need to understand is the will power that one needs. See, ladies! It is very important to be well-determined during these tough therapies.
How does the Breast cancer awareness help the cancer patients?
We have many times heard about the cancer awareness programs, similar is the Breast Cancer Awareness. It is an initiative taken by people to contribute something to the breast cancer patients. To those who suffer from the scariest symptoms of breast cancer, as well as economic or any other crisis, get help through such breast cancer awareness programs.
Breast cancer awareness helps in the increasing the awareness and alleviating the taboo on the breast cancer education. The volunteers in this program are free to participate in any such event that can increase the breast cancer awareness in people through educating them about the breast cancer and its related information.
There are a number of trusts and charity organizations that help in increasing the breast cancer awareness by donating funds to help the cancer patients. Many people also contribute on their will to these programs for the well-being and betterment of cancer patients.
The Pink Ribbon Culture
They also give free workshops and seminars to people, especially those who are suffering from the symptoms of breast cancer. In the breast cancer awareness program, Pink Ribbon Culture is being followed that supports towards the women’s health and wellness. This Pink Ribbon is known to be the symbol of breast cancer awareness; many countries also celebrate October as the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The tumor or cancer is the biggest demon inside the body of an individual that grows on the body and feeds on it. It is tough to fight but we have to, the cancer can be defeated only through a very strong will. So, you should have the faith and knowledge about the symptoms of breast cancer, and have breast cancer awareness.
Be aware and make others aware too, in this way you may increase the breast cancer awareness in each and every women around you.
Stay hale and hearty.
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