Breast cancer is a terrible disease that around one in eight women are expected to get during their lifetime. These statistics are quite frightening and breast cancer is a serious worry for most women. Luckily, it is actually quite a treatable form of cancer, particularly if it is detected early. Medical science is advancing very rapidly, and the number of breast cancer survivors compared to just a few decades ago is now tremendous. This is because women now known how to check for breast cancer symptoms. If you experience any of those symptoms, you must seek medical attention straight away.
What Is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast grow abnormally or uncontrollably. When the body can no longer control the growth of cells, they start to spread and affect nearby healthy cells. This can start at the breast's vessels, tissues, ducts, or lobules. This is the way cancer cells behave.
Unfortunately, it is not always easy to detect breast cancer. There are a number of risk factors you need to be aware of, which can make it more likely that you will develop the disease. In that case, it is particularly important to know how to check for breast cancer symptoms. However, regardless of whether you have risk factors or not, there is no singular symptom that will tell you that you have breast cancer. Simply feeling pain in the breast, for instance, doesn't necessarily mean you have cancer. Even finding a lump does not have to mean that you have this disease, since it can also be harmless or benign. On the other hand, you could have a simple rash that you think is not important, only to find out that it is cancer. This is why it is so important to know the symptoms and what to look for.
Tips on How to Check for Breast Cancer Symptoms:
Every woman needs to know her own breasts. When she knows what her breasts are like, she can also spot the changes that could be problematic, including:
– Having a mass, thickening, or lump that can be felt by gently pressing flat fingers onto the surface of the breast
– Having redness, swelling, or a change of color in the breast
– Noticing a distortion or a change in the shape of the breast, or seeing one breast suddenly become much larger than the other. Breasts are never 100% symmetrical, but if one suddenly starts to grow even more, you must seek medical attention.
– Ridges or dimpling on the skin, as well as scaled skin or a rash
– Having an inverted nipple, or a nipple that changes position
– Having a discharge from the nipple, be that bloody, yellow, milky, or colorless
Do make sure that men learn how to check for breast cancer symptoms as well. Although much rarer in men, it does occur in the males. If caught early, breast cancer is highly treatable and survival rates are very good. However, this is only true if it is caught on time and treatment begins as soon as possible. Hence, check your breasts regularly.