Breast cancer has been cited as major killer among women. Knowing how your breasts normally look and feel is an important part of breast health and can be key in detecting cancer early.
Early diagnosis of cancer as early as possible gives you a better chance of successful treatment hence survival.Screening tests can help find breast cancer in its early stages, before any symptoms appear.
In rare cases, a breast cancer can spread to lymph nodes under the arm or around the collar bone. This causes a lump or swelling there, even before the original tumor in the breast is large enough.
Here are some of the signs to look out for.
- A new lump or mass that is painless with irregular edges.
- Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no distinct lump is felt)
- Skin irritation or dimpling (sometimes looking like an orange peel)
- Breast or nipple pain
- Nipple retraction (turning inward)
- Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin.
- Nipple discharge (other than breast milk).
- Swollen lymph nodes should also be checked by a health practineer.
Although any of these symptoms can be caused by things other than breast cancer, if you have them, they should be checked by the relevant person.