Although changes in your breasts usually are unrelated to cancer, see your healthcare provider right away if you notice any of the following symptoms or any other changes to your breasts. If your symptoms do signal cancer, the sooner you receive treatment the better your prognosis.
Symptoms
Lumps or masses in the breast or underarm:
Painless, hard, with uneven edges.
Tender, soft rounded.
Pain or Tenderness:
Breast or nipple.
Skin irritation or dimpling:
(Note: these symptoms may signal an extremely aggressive type of breast cancer--inflammatory breast cancer. See your healthcare provider immediately if you notice them.)
Redness, scaliness, swollenness, ridges.
Thickening of breast, nipple or area around the nipple.
Pitting (looks like an orange skin).
Changes to the Beast or Npple:
Swelling.
How it looks.
How it feels.
Size or shape.
Nipple turning inward.
Nipple skin thickens.
Nipple discharge (except breast milk).
How Symptoms are Diagnosed
A breast screening (typically a clinical breast exam and/or mammogram) will help your healthcare provider determine whether your symptom is the result of cancer or a non-cancerous condition such as a breast infection or cyst.
Breast Cancer Wthout Symptoms
Sometimes breast cancer has no apparent symptoms, especially in its early stage. A lump may be too small to feel or a change to your breast may be too subtle for you to notice. So you may have breast cancer and not know it.
For these reasons, the American Cancer Society recommends scheduling clinical breast exams every 3 years from your 20s to 30s, and scheduling annual clinical breast exams and mammograms when you hit 40.
For more information go to www.Breastcancer.org and the National Breast Cancer Foundation at www.nationalbreastcancer.org.
source: baltimoresun
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