Breast Cancer Facts
What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
The symptoms of breast cancer include:
- Lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm
- that persists through the menstrual cycle.
- A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea.
- A change in the size, shape, or contour of the breast.
- A blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from the nipple.
- A change in the feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or nipple
- (dimpled, puckered, scaly, or inflamed).
- Redness of the skin on the breast or nipple.
- A change in shape or position of the nipple
- An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast.
- A marble-like hardened area under the skin.
Any one of these eight symptoms shows cause for you to visit a doctor, get tested and obtain a professional opinion.
How many women alive today have ever had breast cancer?
The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 2.6 million US women with a history of breast cancer were alive in January 2008, more than half of whom were diagnosed less than 10 years earlier. Most of these individuals were cancer-free, while others still had evidence of cancer and may have been undergoing treatment.
