Symptoms of Breast cancer
- Swelling or lump in the breast
- Change in size or shape of the breast or discharge from a nipple
- swelling in the armpit (lymph nodes)
- Nipple discharge (clear or bloody)
- Pain in the nipple
- Inverted or retracted nipple
- Scaly or pitted skin on nipple
- Persistent tenderness of the breast
- Unusual breast pain or discomfort
What Causes Breast Cancer
- Age - the chance of getting breast cancer rises as a woman gets older
- Genes - there are two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that greatly increase the risk. Women who have family members with breast or ovarian cancer may wish to be tested.
- Personal factors - beginning periods before age 12 or going through menopause after age 55
- Other risks include being overweight, using hormone replacement therapy, taking birth control pills, drinking alcohol, not having children or having your first child after age 35 or having dense breasts.
(Source :NIH: National Cancer Institute)
Fast Facts on Breast Cancer
- The incidence of breast cancer in India is on the rise and is rapidly becoming the number one cancer in females pushing the cervical cancer to the second spot.
- It is reported that one in 22 women in India is likely to suffer from breast cancer during her lifetime
- the figure is definitely more in America with one in eight being a victim of this deadly cancer.
- Spreading the awareness of the prevalence of this cancer and advising women on undertaking self-breast examination is vital
- Screening for the presence of BRCA1 and BRCA2, the cancer causing genes is available is now available in India also
- Men can have breast cancer, too, but the number of cases is small.
