Breast Cancer Advice Center

Symptoms of breast cancer????

i hope i am getting ahead of myself, but am wondering... i just noticed a lump on the outside of my right breast about middle ways. it is the sz of a nickel, but is oval shaped & is hard. i am 29 yrs old & waaaay overweight. my aunt -mothers side had cervical cancer & her daughter -my cousion had cervical cancer cells, aunt -fathers side had breast cancer. not sure if this matters, but both breast has spider vains, 1 breast is a lil larger than the other, but i think this is normal. for 3 days, i've had bad pain in both arms, lasting longer in right arm. is arm pain a sign of b/c? i've looked at diff sites, but haven't found much about signs/symptoms. i also have a rash a few inches from the lump, but i think it was due to heat as it is in the creese line. i don't have insurance, so i don't wat to do. what are the signs/symptoms of b/c? right now i'm not really really worried, but then again i am cuz i have a 4yr old baby. also, i have trouble with my periods. for years i would have to take meds to have one, but now it won't stop. i can sometimes go 3 weeks in a month with bleeding. and i am a non smoker and a non drinker. i also have inferterlity probs.

Public Comments

1. I know it's hard not having health insurance, but i think you really need to see a Dr. It may be nothing, even if you pay the Dr off $5 a week it would be worth it for peace of minds. Some areas have free screening clinics or give lower fee's, worth checking out to see if anything like that in your area. If not for yourself isn't it worth looking out for yourself for the sake of your child, your baby needs you healthy!
   
   God bless
2. you cant ask questions like that to strangers your best bet hun is to get to the docs put ur mind at rest and if it is get a cure asap. please get yourself to the docs. xx
3. Breast cancer always start with a lump, but since you are overweight and had history of cancer in your family, you better get worry, seek medical advice from a doctor.
4. From breast lumps to nipple retraction.
   With breast lumps as the most common sign of breast cancer, it is essential for women to learn how to perform a breast self-exam.
   Symptoms may include:
   One breast larger than the other
   Red or pink skin
   Swelling
   Rash (entire breast or small patches)
   Orange-like texture (peau d’ orange)
   Skin hot to the touch
   Pain and/or itchiness
   Ridges or thickened areas of breast
   Nipple discharge
   Nipples that appear inverted or flattened
   Swollen lymph nodes under the armpit
   Swollen lymph nodes of the neck (sometimes)
   There are two main places in the breast where cancer can occur: the lobules (the milk-producing tissue) and the ducts (which carry the milk to the nipple).
   
   Ductal carcinoma in situ means an early cancer in the milk ducts. It can be detected by mammograms and is normally easy to cure.
   Invasive ductal carcinoma means a cancer that started in the milk ducts but has now spread beyond them.
   Lobular carcinoma in situ is not considered to be cancer. It is a pre-cancerous condition. Most women with lobular carcinoma in situ do not get breast cancer, but they have an increased risk of getting it, so they are given frequent checkups.
   Invasive lobular carcinoma is a cancer that starts in the lobules and has spread. These can be difficult to diagnose as they do not always form a lump or show up on mammograms.
   What are the symptoms of Breast Cancer?
   
   
   Screening for breast cancer by mammography (X-raying the breast) is offered every three years in the UK to all women between 50 and 64. The highest number of cases of breast cancer occurs in women between these ages.
   
   
   
   Mammography can detect very early breast tumours, when they are too small to be felt. In fact, most of the breast cancers detected by screening are at this very early stage, when they are relatively easy to cure. Studies have shown that women who take part in screening are more likely to have breast cancer diagnosed early and more likely to have it cured and, as a result, are less likely to die from it, than women who do not take part in mammography screening.
   
   
   
   Another method of screening available to all women is to feel the breasts for any lumps. A guide on how to do this properly can be obtained at any doctor's surgery. Women should also check for the other main symptoms:
   
   Change in the size or shape of a breast
   Dimpling of the breast skin
   The nipple becoming inverted
   Swelling or a lump in the armpit
   Diagnosis
   The most important method used to diagnose breast cancer is by taking a biopsy (a tissue sample). A hollow needle is pushed into the breast lump to capture a tiny sample of the tissue. This is examined under a microscope. The shape and appearance of the cells in the tissue sample reveals whether the lump is lumpy, which is true of the vast majority, or if it is cancerous.
   How important is early detection?
   We can currently cure six out of every seven patients who are diagnosed when their breast cancer is at the early stage. However, if they are diagnosed when it has become advanced, the cure rate falls to about one in seven. It is extremely important to catch breast cancer at an early stage.
   so go to ur doctor and get a mamgram done just to b sure ur ok. ok?
5. Do not waste your time in this forum. Rush to your nearest Gynac for an examination and follow her / his instructions without delay.
6. These sites should help.
   they're the early sympoms of breast cancer.
7. If you can't afford to see a doctor, contact your local chapter of the American cancer society for help. Do not ignore a breast lump! I am undergoing chemo currently for Breast cancer that was caught very early but that was aggressive. if I had waited, it would have gotten much worse very quickly.