Breast Cancer happens when cells in the breast tend to grow out of control. These cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray machine or felt as a lump. The tumor is malignant if the cells invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant areas of the body. Breast Cancer occurs entirely in women, but men too can get it. The stage of breast cancer is an important factor to decide its treatment. Find out the signs of Breast Cancer, to curb all doubts and to treat breast cancer at its initial stages.
Types of Breast Cancer
The most common breast cancers are:
Here the cancer cells grow outside the ducts into other parts of the breast tissue. This type of cancer can metastasize to other parts of the body.
Here the cancer cells spread from the lobules to the breast tissues that are close by. These invasive cancer cells can also flow to other sections of the body.
There are many other uncommon kinds of breast cancer, such as Paget’s disease, macular medullary, mucinous, and inflammatory breast cancer.
Signs of Breast Cancer
There are multiple signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Hence, it is necessary to get your breasts to check for any unnecessary change every now and then. The common signs and symptoms of breast cancer are:
A lump growth or swelling in the breast in the upper chest or armpit. You might feel the lump from outside but will not be able to see it. There might be changes in the size and shape of the breast.
There can be a change in skin texture, i.e. puckering and dimpling of the skin. Skin dimpling can be a sign of an aggressive type of breast cancer.
A change in the color of the breasts, i.e. the breast may look red, inflamed, bruised or discolored. The surface may be red or purple or else have a bluish tint.
Rash, crusting or changes to the nipple. Any unusual discharge from either of the nipples. The discharge can be either thick or thin and can vary in color from clear to milky to yellow, green or red.
Nipple retraction or inversion. The cell changes behind the nipple can cause your nipple to reverse inward into the breast, or it may look different in terms of size.
Breast cancer can cause an entire breast or an area on the breast to swell. There may not be a distinct lump after this swelling, but the breast may vary in size compared to the other breast. The skin may also feel tight to the swelling.
Any sort of pain in your breasts does not mean you have breast cancer, but it can be it is related to other symptoms. Though any pain might not be due to breast cancer, if any unusual pain persists for a long time it is important to get it checked. The chances of treating breast cancer are very successful if it is diagnosed in the early stages. Hence, it is necessary to monitor your breasts frequently.