How common is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is one of the most common non-skin cancer in women, but it can also occur in men. A woman has a risk of 1 in 8 for developing breast cancer at some point during her lifetime.
How do I know if I have Breast Cancer?
There usually are no symptoms or signs of early breast cancer, but sometimes a mass or lump in the breast will be present.Many early breast cancers are first identified by screening mammography. Breast cancer screening is important because the cancers can usually be identified at an early stage, when treatments are likely to be effective and outcomes are better. Regular self-examination of one's breasts to ascertain the existence of lumps can also be extremely useful as part of your overall breast cancer screening strategy.
It is however important to know that not all lumps are cancerous but it will take medical procedures to determine the nature of the lumps and the kind of treatment required. In short, medical attention MUST be sought for any lumps.
When symptoms do occur, a lump or mass in the breast is the most common symptom but other possible symptoms include;
*Nipple discharge or redness, *Changes in the skin such as puckering or dimpling, and swelling of part of the breast. *Swelling of part of the breast.
Certain types of cancers known as inflammatory breast cancers may produce redness and warmth of the affected breast, but these are not common signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Breast pain is also not a typical symptom, but breast or nipple pain may occur in certain cases.
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