How do you know if you have breast cancer?

Question

I'm donig a project in science class on dieases an i chose to do it on breast cancer an i want to know how do you know if you have it, like what are the syptoms?And if theres anything else that i probably cant find on the net or books plaaese tell me.I just want to say i really respect the surviors f breast cancer and those who didn't make it because they are in pain alot. Thanks for your help.

i just wanna say im in 7th grade and theres pervs in my class sssssooooo if u sorta get waht i mean who can i say this stuff without getting the pervs all "happy"

so people don't get confused it don't think i have breast cancer................

Answer 1

Breast Cancer symptoms vary widely – from Lumps to Swelling to skin changes – and many breast cancers have not obvious symptoms at all. Symptoms that are similar to those of Breast Cancer may be the result of non-cancerous conditions like infection or a cyst also.

Many of the breast cancers are diagnosed much earlier than they can produce any symptoms. Routine use of mammogram helps women to identify the breast cancer long before it can cause any symptoms. In the early stages breast cancer may be asymptomatic and women may notice only a breast lump. As the breast cancer progresses the cancer cells can invade in to the surrounding normal structures and other distant organs and this may lead to development of symptoms. Any one or more of the following may occur during various stages of progression of breast cancer.

* A lump (mass) in the breast, these lumps are most commonly painless (or as a matter of fact any other part of the body)
* Swelling or thickness of the breast
* Redness, swelling and or pain in the breast
* Lump in the arm pit area due to the spread of breast cancer to the lymph nodes in that area
* New mole or an obvious change in the appearance of an existing wart or mole
* Areas of warmth or redness in the breast
* Development of asymmetry of the breast
* Inversion or changes in the appearance of the nipple
* Flattening or indentation on the skin of the breast. This may indicate a change in the underlying structures.
* Scaling or redness or a change of color or texture of the skin of the breast or Areola (such as dimpling, puckering, or scaliness)
* Unusual dimpling in the breast which may indicate adhesion to underlying structures
* Discharge from the breast or nipple. This can be clear, dark or bloody in nature.
* Burning, itching or scaling of nipples.
* Pain or tenderness in the breast or underarm area. If this does not relive over time possibility of breast cancer should be considered
* Infection or inflammation of breast
* Development of breast abscess
* Bone pain may occur during the late stages of breast cancer due to involvement of bone
* Change in the mental status, seizure, and neurological events can occur in the late stage of the disease due to involvement of brain or spinal cord
* Jaundice may occur in the later stages of breast cancer due to the involvement of liver or surrounding structures.
* Chest pain and difficulty in breathing may occur in the late stages of the disease due to involvement of lung and surrounding structures.

Any changes in the breast should be reported to a doctor without delay. Symptoms can be caused by cancer or by a number of less serious conditions. Early diagnosis is especially important for breast cancer because the disease responds best to treatment before it has spread. The earlier breast cancer is found and treated, the better a woman's chance for complete recovery !

You can see my blogs on Breast Cancer awareness on Yahoo 360 - http://360.yahoo.com/jayaramanms... , where in I have written elaborately and you can take the points for your project-

Answer 2

Only a Doctor can diagnose cancer. But here is some help:

Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. In fact, when breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause changes that women should watch for:

A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.
A change in the size or shape of the breast.
A discharge from the nipple.
A change in the color or feel of the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple (dimpled, puckered, or scaly).
A woman should see her doctor if she notices any of these changes. Most often, they are not cancer, but only a doctor can tell for sure.

Answer 3

WELL I FOUNS A SMALL LUMP IN MY LEFT BREAST IT GREW TO THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL AND HURT VERY BAD ON MY LEFT BREASTAND IT MOVED I WAS TOLD IF IT MOVED AND HURT IT WASNT CANCER BUT GUESS WHAT IT WAS IT MOVED AND IT HURT ALL THE TIMESPECAILLY WHEN I TOUCHED IT MY FRIENDS DOG KEPT SMELL MY LEFT BREAST THIS MADE ME GO SEE A DOCTOR THE DOG NEW IT WAS CANCER AND IT WAS I WAS A STAGE 3 WHEN I FINAILLY WENT TO SEE A DOCTOR THE GOOD THING IS IT DIDNT GET TO MY LUMPNOIDS SO THAT WAS GREAT I HAVE 1 LEST BREAST BUT HEY IM ALIVE AND STILL KICKING NEVER LET ANY ONE TELL U IT DONT MOVE AND THAT IT DONT HURT CAUSE IT DOES IAM A 1 YEAR CANCER FREE LADY NOW

Answer 4

OK, first of all, if you're in seventh grade, then it's really, really unlikely for you to get breast cancer. Risk increases as you get older. Secondly, breast cancer usually shows itself in really hard lumps in the breast. They don't usually hurt. They feel like hard, frozen peas, apparently. But don't worry. Hardly any seventh graders get breast cancer.

Answer 5

We do not know the purpose. If we did, we probably equipped to preclude it and deal with it larger. Symptoms are infrequent. I had a crimson rash gift from the tumor inflicting tissue alterations. The lump used to be alternatively massive however my document under no circumstances detected it. No issues even though; it is very treatable, satisfactory now.

Answer 6

No pain initially. Usually it begin with a non-tender, non-mobile mass of the breast or axilla area. By the way, you be able to find all you information on-line by Googling what you need.

Answer 7

Often, a woman will have changes in a mammogram, that she can not feel because they are microscopic. These are called calcifications. So the best way to know, is to get a mammogram.