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Overview
Breast cancer is highly treatable if caught early. The best early detection of breast cancer is via a regular monthly self-exam. Any lumps or skin abnormalities found during a breast self-exam should be regarded as priority number one and a physician's opinion should immediately follow the discovery. Breast cancer tends to have a high incidence of running in certain families, although the reason for this is not known. Positive diagnosis of breast cancer is treated with a lumpectomy, mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapies.
Significance
Performing a monthly breast self-exam is important for discovery of abnormalities, such as lumps. To perform a self-exam, lie down on a bed or another flat surface and place your arms above your head. With your index finger and middle finger of the left hand, make circular motions on and around the right breast and underarm region. Repeat the process with the opposite hand and breast.
Features
Bruising on the breasts that may change color but won't go away and never fade is a sure sign you may have breast cancer. Get this symptom checked out immediately by your healthcare professional.
Itch
The breasts may itch and there may be a discharge from the nipples. Breasts may change color ranging from dark red to pink. Nipples may invert or retract. These abnormalities should be reported to your health care professional for further investigation.
Effects
Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck may be present due to breast cancer symptoms. There may be present orange peel skin, pitted skin called peau d'orange. Thickening of the skin in and around the armpits may be present. These are all signs of breast cancer.
Inflammatory
The breasts may suddenly swell for no reason due to this aggressive form of inflammatory breast cancer, which is often misdiagnosed as a mere breast infection and treated with antibiotics. This treatment does no good to the victim, who is most probably a young woman with copious amounts of estrogen in her body, which is responsible for this type of cancer. Fast growing, the disease affects major organs quickly. In older women this aggressive form of cancer is slow growing due to lesser amounts of estrogen in the woman's body. For this reason, older woman have a higher survival rate than young women.
