What are the first warning signs of breast cancer?

What does early stage breast cancer feel like?

A painless, hard mass that has irregular edges is more likely to be cancer, but breast cancers can be also soft, round, tender, or even painful. Other possible symptoms of breast cancer include: Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no lump is felt) Skin dimpling (sometimes looking like an orange peel)

What is early stage breast cancer?

Early-stage breast cancer is breast cancer that hasn’t spread to other parts of your body. That means it’s just in your breasts or nearby lymph nodes. This includes stage 0 ductal carcinoma (cancer of your milk ducts) and stages I-IIIa. There are really good ways to fight early-stage breast cancer.

Is breast cancer pain continuous?

Pain caused by breast cancer is typically gradual. Anyone who experiences breast pain, especially if it is severe or persistent and not linked to the menstrual cycle or any other cause, should consult a healthcare professional.

How does breast cancer affect the body?

Sometimes breast cancer spreads, or metastasizes, through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. It can lead to tumors in your brain, bones, liver, lung, and elsewhere. Complications may include blocked blood vessels, bone fractures, and pressure on the spinal cord.

Do you feel ill with breast cancer?

General symptoms

Many symptoms of secondary breast cancer are similar to those of other conditions. Some general symptoms that breast cancer may have spread include: Feeling constantly tired. Constant nausea (feeling sick)

How long can you have breast cancer without knowing?

Breast cancer has to divide 30 times before it can be felt. Up to the 28th cell division, neither you nor your doctor can detect it by hand. With most breast cancers, each division takes one to two months, so by the time you can feel a cancerous lump, the cancer has been in your body for two to five years.

What are 3 warning signs of cancer?

How quickly does breast cancer spread?

Each division takes about 1 to 2 months, so a detectable tumor has likely been growing in the body for 2 to 5 years. Generally speaking, the more cells divide, the bigger the tumor grows.

Is breast cancer more common in left breast?

Fact 6: Breast cancer is more common in the left breast than the right. The left breast is 5 – 10% more likely to develop cancer than the right breast. The left side of the body is also roughly 5% more prone to melanoma (a type of skin cancer).

Where is the first place breast cancer usually spreads?

The lymph nodes under your arm, inside your breast, and near your collarbone are among the first places breast cancer spreads.

Where is most breast cancer located?

Most breast cancers develop in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, closest to the armpit. This is because this area has a lot of glandular tissue.

Is breast cancer curable?

Fortunately, breast cancer is very treatable if you spot it early. Localized cancer (meaning it hasn’t spread outside your breast) can usually be treated before it spreads. Once the cancer begins to spread, treatment becomes more complicated. It can often control the disease for years.

Can breast cancer be removed?

There are two main types of surgery to remove breast cancer: Breast-conserving surgery is surgery to remove the cancer as well as some surrounding normal tissue. Only the part of the breast containing the cancer is removed. How much breast is removed depends on where and how big the tumor is, as well as other factors.

Is breast cancer death painful?

Pain: Cancer can cause considerable pain as it progresses. Fatigue: As the body continues to cope with the spread of cancer, it is common to feel very tired. A person near the end of life may sleep for many hours per day. Breathing difficulties: Breathing may become difficult for several reasons.

Can breast cancer death?

Deaths from breast cancer have declined over time, but breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women overall and the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women. Each year in the United States, about 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and about 2,400 in men.

Who is most at risk for breast cancer?

Studies have shown that your risk for breast cancer is due to a combination of factors. The main factors that influence your risk include being a woman and getting older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older.

How common is breast cancer by age?

Your risk for breast cancer increases as you age. About 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer each year are ages 45 or older, and about 43% are ages 65 or above. Consider this: In women ages 40 to 50, there is a one in 69 risk of developing breast cancer. From ages 50 to 60, that risk increases to one in 43.