How to Identify Breast Cancer Symptoms

Prognosis and Treatment Information on Malignant Woman's Disease

Sep 9, 2009

Breast cancer claims the lives of thousands of women each year. A closer look at the symptoms, risk factors, prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a malignant growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast Cancer – What are the Symptoms?

Since symptoms of breast cancer are not easily noticeable in its early stages, performing a monthly self breast exam is a good way of noticing changes in the breasts.

Symptoms and signs of breast cancer can include:

swelling of the breast or swelling in the armpit (lymph nodes)
a breast that is warm or hot to the touch (this can be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer)
pain in the nipple
persistent tenderness of the breast
discharge from the nipple (clear or bloody)
inverted or scaly nipples
lump/s in the breast, no matter how small
itchy breast/s
dimpled skin
a red, blotchy breast that may have a rash-like appearance (possible symptom of inflammatory breast cancer)

Breast Cancer – Who is at Risk?

All women potentially have the risk of developing cancer and so all women should take care of their health and check for lumps in the breasts each month. There are added factors such as age, family history of breast cancer, race (Caucasian women diagnosed more frequently), alcohol consumption (more than 2 – 5 units of alcohol per day) and genetics.

Women who have never had children and women who have used birth-control pills for a long time are said to have as much as a 20-percent higher risk of breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Prognosis

Many factors contribute to an individual's prognosis and new research is helping doctors understand which tumors may be more aggressive than others. The 5-year survival rate for women diagnosed with cancer is 80%. About 88% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive at least 10 years.

Breast Cancer Prevention and Diet

"Early discovery of breast cancer remains the most important step in altering the course of breast cancer,” says the publication Radiologic Clinics of North America. In this regard three key measures are regular breast self-examination, annual examination by a doctor, and mammography.

While no known food can cure cancer, eating certain foods and cutting down on others can be preventive measures. According to Dr. Leonard Cohen of the American Health Foundation, Valhalla, New York, “Following the right diet could reduce your risk of getting breast cancer by up to fifty percent”.

Foods rich in fiber, such as whole-grain breads and cereals, may help lower the amount of prolactin and estrogen, possibly by binding to these hormones and flushing them out of the body. According to the journal Nutrition and Cancer, “these effects could suppress the promotional phase of carcinogenesis.”

Cutting down on saturated fats such as butter, cream and fatty meats may reduce risk.

Vegetables rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, squashes, sweet potatoes, and dark leafy greens, as spinach and collard and mustard greens, may be a help. It is thought that vitamin A inhibits the formation of cancer-causing mutations. And such vegetables as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and green onions contain chemicals that induce protective enzymes.

Treatment of Breast Cancer

At present, surgery, radiation and drug therapy are the conventional treatments for breast cancer. Information about the type of tumor, its size, its invasive quality, whether it has spread to lymph nodes, and a woman's menopausal status can help her and her doctor determine the method of treatment.

Hormone therapy – Anti-estrogen therapy cuts off the growth-stimulating effects of estrogen. This is achieved by reducing estrogen levels in pre-menopausal women by either surgically removing the ovaries or by drugs.

Sources:

Breast Cancer – What Every Woman Should Know by Dr. Paul Rodriguez, June 1988, Published by Aurora Publishing
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Article Breast Cancer and Diet
Awake! Magazine, Article “Breast Cancer – Every Woman's Fear”, Volume 1994 pages 3 – 5
Awake! Magazine, Article “Breast Cancer – Keys to Survival, Volume 1994, pages 6 – 13