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What are the first warnยญing Signs Of Breast Canยญcer? What does earยญly-stage breast Canยญcer Feel Like? Do you Feel unwell with earยญly breast Cancer? No woman wants to hear a diagยญnoยญsis of breast canยญcer from her physiยญcian. It is a terยญriยญfyยญing prospect, the idea that oneโ€™s breasts,  symยญbols of mothยญerยญhood and womยญanยญhood, are threatยญened by seriยญous disยญease. But it is more than that. Breast canยญcer left undiยญagยญnosed and untreatยญed can, evenยญtuยญalยญly, turn fatal if it metasยญtaยญsizes to othยญer parts of the body. Forยญtuยญnateยญly, women today are much more astute about their bodยญies than even their mothยญers and grandยญmothยญers were. They pay attenยญtion to changes in their physยญiยญcalยญiยญty and donโ€™t deny or postยญpone getยญting proยญfesยญsionยญal help for potenยญtial problems. In this post, we delve into the earยญly warnยญing signs of breast canยญcer and sugยญgest what you should be checkยญing for if you see changes in your breasts. If you notice even one of these in your own breasts, itโ€™s time for a visยญit to your physiยญcian. Only she/he can say with cerยญtainยญty whether there is cause for genยญuine alarm. If so, she/he will talk to you about the next steps and the imporยญtance of an earยญly diagยญnoยญsis and future treatยญment options.

- Youโ€™ve Noticed a Lump

If you perยญform self-examยญiยญnaยญtions of your breasts regยญuยญlarยญly (and you should) and you feel a lump, even a tiny one, call your docยญtor. Many of these are simยญply benign cysts that are nothยญing to worยญry about. But we canยญnot stress enough that even a small lump needs to be assessed by your docยญtor, who will then deterยญmine whether you need to be seen by a specialist.

- Discoloration In The Skin Or Nipple

Any changes to the colour of your breast, no matยญter how minor, require attenยญtion from your physician.

- If You Detect a Change In The Size Of One Of Your Breast, Have It Checked

These types of changes are difยญferยญent than a noticeยญable lump. If your breast feels largยญer, or difยญferยญent in shape, make an appointยญment with your doctor.

- Changes In The Texture Of Your Skin

Your breasts should be checked by a docยญtor if you notice that your breast skin, or the nipยญples, look and feel difยญferยญent. Someยญtimes an affectยญed breast takes on the look and feel of dimยญpled orange peel, and this is a sign that someยญthing might be wrong.

- Are They Swollen, Tender Or Sore?

Most women expeยญriยญence swelling and tenยญderยญness every month when their periยญod is due. This earยญly warnยญing sign will feel difยญferยญent than the changes that occur durยญing your monthยญly cycle.

- Your Breast Feels Unusually Warm

Although this doesยญnโ€™t mean there is defยญiยญniteยญly a tumour, it is cause for conยญcern. Changes in the temยญperยญaยญture of your breasts when you touch them, if they feel warm or even hot, means you need to folยญlow up with your doctor.

- Do They Hurt When You Touch Them?

If you expeยญriยญence pain or even some disยญcomยญfort when you touch or masยญsage the skin of your breasts or nipยญples, have them checked. This means, perยญhaps, someยญthing is wrong. Even minor pain could be an indiยญcaยญtion that a small tumour is present. Even a benign lump can cause pain, so itโ€™s best to err on the side of cauยญtion and let your docยญtor know whatโ€™s hapยญpenยญing. If she agrees that your disยญcomยญfort is out of the ordiยญnary, she will send you to a speยญcialยญist for furยญther assessยญment and diagnosis.

- Discharge From Your Nipples

Any time youโ€™re noticยญing disยญcharge from your nipยญple or nipยญples and youโ€™re not a new mom who is breastยญfeedยญing, you should see your docยญtor. Disยญcharge can be a clear sign that someยญthing is amiss.

- Your Breast/Breasts Feel Itchy & Is/Are Easily Irritated

Again, these may not be cause for conยญcern, but they might be. Itโ€™s always best to talk to your docยญtor if you feel your breasts are โ€œbehavยญingโ€ difยญferยญentยญly in any way.

- The Skin Of Your Breast Or Nipple Is Flaking

Changes to the skin donโ€™t only come in the form of disยญcolยญoration or lumpiยญness. Someยญtimes the skin of your breast or nipยญple may begin flakยญing as if you had a sunยญburn. If this hapยญpens, itโ€™s best to conยญsult your docยญtor. This is parยญticยญuยญlarยญly imporยญtant if it hapยญpens in conยญjuncยญtion with anothยญer one of the sympยญtoms weโ€™ve menยญtioned here. Catchยญing breast canยญcer in its earยญliยญest stages is cruยญcial for treatยญment options to be most effecยญtive. Once youโ€™ve been seen by your docยญtor, you will know what to do next, and the treatยญments availยญable to you. First of all, you need a firm and comยญplete diagnosis. This is done in difยญferยญent ways: blood work, a mamยญmoยญgram, and if necยญesยญsary, a biopยญsy of any lump or lumps that an oncolยญoยญgist disยญcovยญers. These speยญcialยญists are able to detect even a pea-sized lump and will recยญomยญmend a biopยญsy if they feel furยญther invesยญtiยญgaยญtion is required. Preยญvenยญtion is always the best way of avoidยญing breast cancer. Here are a few ways you can ensure that this diagยญnoยญsis doesยญnโ€™t hapยญpen. But if it does, if you do turn out to be one of the thouยญsands of women each year who receive this news, take heart. Breast canยญcer is not the death senยญtence it once was. Caught earยญly, it can be treatยญed sucยญcessยญfulยญly and you can live a long and healthy life, comยญpleteยญly canยญcer-free. Howยญevยญer, you need to care for your breasts throughยญout your life in order to keep them healthy. Here are some of the recยญomยญmenยญdaยญtions offered by the Mayo Clinยญic for preยญventยญing breast cancer:

1- Reduce Or Eliminate Alcohol From Your Diet

This is numยญber one on the list, accordยญing to the Clinยญic. No more than one drink per day is advised, as even a small amount more, say two or three glassยญes of wine, can increase your chances of develยญopยญing breast cancer.

2- Lots Of Physical Activity Helps

This is true for all types of canยญcer preยญvenยญtion. Keepยญing active, even walkยญing briskly three or four times per week for 40 minยญutes, helps conยญtrol your weight and reduces your risk.

3- Keep Your Weight Down

This applies to most canยญcer preยญvenยญtion regยญiยญmens. Reducยญing your intake of red meat, satยญuยญratยญed fats and choยญlesยญterol is helpยญful in preยญventยญing many forms of canยญcer, not just breast cancer.

4- Reconsider Hormone Replacement Therapy After Menopause

Although the research is not yet fulยญly conยญcluยญsive, some studยญies indiยญcate that womยญenโ€™s risk of develยญopยญing breast canยญcer increasยญes with HRT (horยญmone replaceยญment therยญaยญpy). If you are conยญsidยญerยญing this, talk over the risks thorยญoughยญly with your docยญtor. She may advise against it, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly if there is a hisยญtoยญry of breast canยญcer in your family.

5- When You Have Babies, Breastfeed If You Can

Studยญies show that women who breastยญfeed have a lowยญer risk of develยญopยญing breast canยญcer than women who donโ€™t, or women whoโ€™ve nevยญer had chilยญdren. Not all women are able to breastยญfeed sucยญcessยญfulยญly, and of course, there is no reaยญson to feel bad about that if it hapยญpens. Howยญevยญer, research does show that breastยญfeedยญing reduces your risk.

6- Depending On Your Age, Get a Mammogram

what are the first warning signs of breast cancer The sciยญence on how often you should be screened has changed. Women under 60 genยญerยญalยญly donโ€™t need mamยญmoยญgrams each year, as was at one time the stanยญdard recยญomยญmenยญdaยญtion. Today the guideยญlines are difยญferยญent. Your docยญtor will know whatโ€™s best for you, so conยญsult her when makยญing your decision. Mamยญmoยญgrams can detect a lump long before you can see or feel them, so they are an imporยญtant tool for preยญvenยญtion. And if there is a hisยญtoยญry of breast canยญcer in your famยญiยญly, your docยญtor may decide you should have a mamยญmoยญgram every year, or perยญhaps every othยญer year. Take her advice! Accordยญing to the Amerยญiยญcan Canยญcer Sociยญety, women have a 90 perยญcent, five-year surยญvival rate if their breast canยญcer is caught earยญly and treatยญed immeยญdiยญateยญly. That is a far cry from the doom and gloom progยญnoยญsis this type of canยญcer once engendered. But the key to that sucยญcess is twofold: preยญvenยญtion and earยญly detection. Itโ€™s imporยญtant, for many reaยญsons, that you take care of your breasts by doing regยญuยญlar self-assessยญments. If you donโ€™t know how to do this propยญerยญly, ask your docยญtor or do some online research. A self-exam is easy to do, and quick. If you find anyยญthing โ€“ a lump, a bit of tenยญderยญness that feels wrong โ€“ conยญtact your docยญtor immediately. Breast canยญcer is one of medยญiยญcineโ€™s great sucยญcess stoยญries. It has not been elimยญiยญnatยญed, but thanks to sciยญence and womยญenโ€™s knowlยญedge of their bodยญies, it is not as scary as it once was. And it is cerยญtainยญly not a death senยญtence anyยญmore, as it was even 50 or 60 years ago. You can do a lot to preยญvent ever hearยญing this diagยญnoยญsis. Mainยญtain a regยญuยญlar exerยญcise schedยญule. Eat a healthy diet most of the time. Conยญsume litยญtle or no alcoยญhol, or save a splurge for a speยญcial occaยญsion, like your wedยญding anniverยญsary or birthยญday. Be your best health care advoยญcate by insistยญing on getยญting the fullest inforยญmaยญtion you can if you do develยญop breast cancer. Takยญing these active steps ensures your body stays healthy and strong for as long as posยญsiยญble. Workยญing hard to reduce your risk of breast canยญcer means youโ€™ll have plenยญty of opporยญtuยญniยญties to celยญeยญbrate a long and hapยญpy life, cancer-free.

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