There have been numerous campaigns lately regarding this illness, and this is why a lot of people start asking what are the symptoms of breast cancer? This is one of those conditions that are affecting a large number of women and this is why we should all be aware of the aspects of the condition.

The sad truth about it is that the symptoms of breast cancer aren’t always visible and in some cases there are no symptoms at all. There might be a lump in the breast, but it could be too small for you to sense it and it doesn’t cause any changes that you could recognize. In the majority of the cases the condition is recognized with the help of a mammogram that shows and abnormal area.

Nonetheless, when people ask what are the symptoms of breast cancer, the first thing that pops in is a new mass or lump in the breast that is felt by you or by your doctor. In case you have a lump that appears to be hard, uneven, and painless it is most likely cancer.

On the other hand there are some cases when the cancer appears to be soft, tender and rounded. In this case the symptoms of breast cancer are different. This is why in case you feel anything out of the ordinary, visit your doctor to make sure that everything is alright.

In different cases the cancer could manifest in different ways, but the most common symptoms of breast cancer include a partial swelling or the swelling of the entire breast, pain in the breast, redness, thickening or scaling of the nipple or of the skin on the breast, a lump in the area of the underarm, dimpling or irritation of the skin, pain in the nipple or a nipple turned in the back, and a discharge of the breast that isn’t breast milk.

Although usually these come as answer when people ask what are the symptoms of breast cancer, they could also indicate other serious conditions that aren’t cancerous, such as a cyst or an infection.

Prevention

In order to make sure that you recognize any symptoms of breast cancer in time you should make a monthly breast exam a part of your healthcare routine. In case you are older than 40 or for some reason there are some risk factors in your life, you should make sure to have a monthly mammogram and also physical exam by your healthcare provider. In case the breast cancer is found in time, you have higher chances of beating it.

Testing

If you know what are the symptoms of breast cancer you most probably have some ideas regarding how doctors are testing for it. There are numerous different tests that are meant to find the possibly cancerous cells even though you might not have any symptoms of breast cancer and there are also many possibilities to fight the condition if you have it.

If you are still uncertain regarding what are the symptoms of breast cancer you should do some further researches and keep in mind that a real diagnose can only be put by an authorized doctor.