Understanding what the symptoms are for breast cancer is one of the first and most important steps in obtaining a breast cancer diagnosis. There are a number of common breast cancer symptoms that can lead to a breast cancer diagnosis, including:

• A change in how your breast feels, or how your nipple feels,
• A lump, or a thickening near your breast or near the area of your under arm,
• Tenderness in your nipple,
• A change in how your breast looks, or how your nipple looks,
• A change in the size of your breast or the shape of your breast,
• A nipple that is turned inward in the direction of the breast,
• Swollen skin on your breast, your nipple or your areola
• Itchy skin on your breast, your nipple or your areola
• Scaly or red skin on your breast, your nipple or your areola
• Ridges or pitting on your breast, your nipple or your areola
• Discharge from the nipple

In the earliest stages of breast cancer, there is no pain. Still, if you experience breast pain, or if you experience any of the symptoms that were listed above, it is vitally important that you consult a doctor sooner rather than later. Most often, symptoms like these are not actually due to cancer, but that does not mean that they do not need to be checked out by a trained physician, at least so that a breast cancer diagnosis can be dismissed.

If you have a symptom is suggesting cancer, or if you have a screening test that suggests cancer, the next step is to rule out a breast cancer diagnosis or to confirm a breast cancer diagnosis. Your doctor is going to want to ask you about your personal history and your family history and you may also undergo a physical exam. Your doctor is going to want to find out what is causing the symptom or the abnormal screening so that the cause can be remedied no matter what it is.

There are a number of different options that are available to you when it comes to confirming or ruling out a breast cancer diagnosis. You may undergo a clinical breast exam, a diagnostic mammogram, an ultrasound, a magnetic resonance imaging or MRI scan, a needle biopsy or a number of other tests that will help to determine whether you are facing a real breast cancer diagnosis or just a scare. There are a number of additional tests that your physician may use to help you confirm or deny a breast cancer diagnosis, such as a hormone receptor test or a HER2 test. These tests will help you determine the best course of action for treating your symptoms, no matter what they actually are.

Photo Credits: zoha_n

Originally posted 2009-10-28 03:06:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Self-Defense Class I couldn't pass up a free self-defense class at the gym today. It was offered as part of April being Sexual Assault Awareness month. The class was excellent, and I wish it could have lasted all day! Not only was it a good workout, but, even more importantly, I learned......
• The Afternoon Slump Ever feel sleepy in the afternoon? I do sometimes, right around 2PM. It's actually normal and related to the natural ebb and flow of our internal body clocks. It's perfectly normal to feel a twinge of drowsiness in the afternoon. So, what happens when we're really feeling sleepy and our......
• Autoimmune Syndrome Risk Factors for Women There are a number of different ailments that women are actually at risk for developing without actually realizing it. For example, autoimmune syndrome risk factors for women are much more significant than for men in many situations. Autoimmune diseases and disorders make up a group of disorders that involve the......
• Is it Time to Get a Mammogram? Because breast cancer is so prevalent these days, it is vitally important that you get a mammogram often, which generally means once every one to two years once you are old enough to start having sex. It is vitally important that you begin to take care of your health now,......
• Food For Thought... and Health Green tea may have another positive feature to add to its resume - that of increasing antibiotic effectiveness, even against superbugs! Green tea gave antibiotics a boost in their bacterial killing capabilities like spinach gave Popeye his super strength. I hope this study wasn't just a fluke!  It would be great if green tea really can provide......

Related Websites

• Carnival of Weight Loss - Winter Hols Welcome to the December 20, 2008 edition of carnival of weight loss. Editor Picks Marsha Hudnall presents Women's Weight Loss: 'Tis the Season to Be Kind posted at A Weight Lifted MCA presents Does Caffeine Raise Your Blood Glucose Levels? | My Caffeine Addiction posted at Caffeine Addiction, saying,......
• Snowboarding Safely pt 1 Snowboarding is one of the more popular snow based sports out there. Just like with nearly every other type of physical activity, people that go snowboarding are susceptible to being injured. Taking the right precautions and wearing the right protective gear is going to help to protect you from sustaining......
• Last Edition of WL's Roundup Welcome to the last edition of Weight Ladder's weekly roundup, at least for a while. Who knows I might have time to start it up again, but for now my time is better spent getting healthy and fit. Take care! Fitness Health Network: NCN is Trying A New Elliptical Routine.......
• Golf Tournament Recap: US Tour Championship Phil Mickelson takes US Tour Championship Win, Tiger Woods Walks Away With $10 Million Dollars. Phil Mickelson managed to ge the best of Tiger Woods during the US Tour Championship, but he still saw the World no. 1 player take the larger pay check, to the tune of a $10......
• Methionine, Inositol, and Choline (MIC) Injection As part of the medically assisted weightloss program I receive a weekly injection of Methionine, Inositol, and Choline (MIC). Here is what the packet my doctor gave me has to say about them... These lipotropic agents belong to a class of substances that play important roles in the body's use......

Online Stores

• Doctor Autoharp & Zither String Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Postal History Worldwide Stamps
• Breast Cancer Gnomes & Sprites Statues & Yard Art Garden Décor Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
• Childrens Skin Care Skin Care Store
• American History Flags & Flagpoles Garden Décor Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.


Categories:

General Health, Health and Wellness

Tags:

breast cancer, breast cancer diagnosis, breast cancer symptoms, breast pain, clinical breast exam, diagnostic mammogram, family history, itchy skin, nipple, personal history, physical exam, red skin, screening test, shape, stages of breast cancer