Breast cancer is a kind of cancer that begins as a growth of cells in the breast tissue. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women after skin cancer. But breast cancer doesn't just happen in women. Everyone is born with some breast tissue, so anyone can get breast cancer.
Breast cancer survival rates have been increasing and the number of people dying of breast cancer is steadily going down, due to the widespread support for breast cancer awareness and funding for research.
Advances in breast cancer screening allow healthcare professionals to diagnose breast cancer earlier. Even when breast cancer can't be cured, many treatments exist to extend life. New discoveries in breast cancer research are helping healthcare professionals choose the most effective treatment plans. Different people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Some people do not have any signs or symptoms at all.
Breast Cancer: Symptoms
Some warning signs of breast cancer include :
A breast lump or thickened area of skin that feels different from the surrounding tissue.
Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the skin on the breast.
Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
Pain in any area of the breast.
Changes in the color of the breast skin. In people with white skin, the breast skin may look pink or red. In people with brown and Black skin, the breast skin may look darker than the other skin on the chest or it may look red or purple.
But you need to be careful that these symptoms may happen with other conditions that are not cancer.
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