Breast cancer remains to be one of the most serious types of cancer in women. In 2020, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 deaths were reported. This figure is threatening because breast cancer is diagnosed at a later stage and many women are unable to detect the signs at the early stage of the disease.
Breast cancer, just like many other forms of cancer, is treatable if it is detected at the initial stage of the disease.
In this article we will discuss the different signs of breast cancer, other than the classic sign which is a lump in the breast.
Given below are some of the unusual signs of breast cancer. The purpose of this is to understand the different range of symptoms, not ignore them and get it tested at the earliest.
Nipple retraction
Retracted nipple or inward nipple can hint of a cancerous growth. In this condition, the nipple does not point outward, they point inward or are flat. It can either happen in one of the breasts or in both the breasts.
While there are several reasons behind it like bacterial infection, in a birth defect or mammary duct ectasia, in case of breast cancer the nipple gets inverted all of a sudden. There is also a change in the color and appearance of the nipples.
Skin dimpling
Skin dimpling means when the skin of the nipple feels like an orange peel. This is way different than the normal texture of the nipple skin.
Dimpled skin is the indication of inflammatory breast cancer.
Burning sensation
If your breast feels warm and swollen it can be due to breast cancer. This is a classic sign of inflammatory breast cancer of which skin dimpling is a major sign.
In this condition, the breast also feels tender and a sharp pain is also felt in the breast.
Discharge from nipples
Discharge from nipples can be bloody fluid coming out of the nipples or else milk like fluid coming out of the nipples even when you are not breastfeeding.
Just like the other symptoms, nipple discharge can happen for other reasons but if it persists for a longer time get it tested.
What else should one know?
Lump remains one of the key indicators of breast cancer. However, there are several reasons for lumps to form in the breast and many of these are not cancer.
"As many as 90% of breast masses are not cancerous. Non-cancerous breast abnormalities include benign masses like fibroadenomas and cysts as well as infections," the WHO says.
Breast cancer may spread to other parts of the body. The first site where breast cancer spreads is the lymph nodes under the arm. With time it may spread to lungs, liver, brain and bones.
How to reduce the risk of breast cancer?
One can avert the risk of breast cancer by making changes in lifestyle habits that include prolonged breastfeeding, regular physical activity, weight control, cutting down consumption of alcohol, avoiding exposure to tobacco, avoiding prolonged use of hormones and avoiding excessive radiation exposure.
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