Breast Cancer Symptoms: What You Need to Know

By Stacy Simon An important way to keep up with your breast health is to be aware of how your breasts normally look and feel, and know what changes to look for. Finding breast cancer as early as possible gives you a better chance of successful treatment. But knowing what to look for is not a substitute for screening mammograms and other tests, which can help find breast cancer in its early stages, even before any symptoms appear. Benign (non-cancerous) breast conditions are much more common than breast cancer, but it is important to let your health care team know about any changes in your breast so they can be checked out right away. Below are some common breast symptoms and what they might mean. RESOURCES: Sign up for a breast cancer screening reminder What happens if you're called back after a mammogram Learn more about breast cancerNon-cancerous breast conditions A lump in your breast A lump or mass in the breast is the most common symptom of breast cancer. Such lumps are often hard and painless, though some may be painful. Not all lumps are cancer, though. There are a number of benign breast conditions (like cysts) that can also cause lumps. Still, it’s important to have your doctor check out any new lump or mass right away. If it does turn out to be cancer, the sooner it’s diagnosed the better. Swelling in or around your breast, collarbone, or armpit Breast swelling can be caused by inflammatory breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disea...
Source: American Cancer Society :: News and Features - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Breast Cancer Prevention/Early Detection Source Type: news