Breast Cancer Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Next steps

By: Jamie Emerson
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Cancer
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October 2, 2021
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5 Min read

Breast cancer is a common concern for women across the United States and the world as it occurs in 1 in 8 women in their lifetime. It is the second most deadly cancer for women just after lung cancer.

Breast cancer is an abnormal mass of cells that forms within the breasts, usually within females. Males can also get breast cancer in the same area however, it is uncommon. Cancer occurs because of inherited or developed mutations or changes in DNA that cause cells to grow and replicate without control. As the cancer cells replicate, they form a tumor and steal resources (oxygen and nutrients) from healthy tissue. Tumors most often form in the ducts or the lobules (milk-producing glands) of the breasts, but can also, less frequently, grow in the fatty and fibrous tissue of the breasts. As the disease advances in stages, it can spread to other areas like healthy breast tissue and the lymph nodes in the underarm, which can become life-threatening

The first step of breast cancer diagnosis is to recognize the symptoms in yourself. The most prominent symptom is a lump within normal breast tissue. However, normal tissue is relative and can change depending on your hormones and cycle. Cancerous lumps can also vary widely in its characteristics. “A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer. But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded” (breastcancer.org). Learning about self-exams and how to perform them can help you determine if there is an abnormal lump. Women should begin breast self-exams around the age of 20 and perform them each month. Suggestions for what part of your cycle to perform the exams varies, but a general recommendation is three to seven days after your period. Apart from a lump, there are other symptoms to look for during a routine breast exam. They include:

swelling of all or part of the breast
skin irritation or dimpling
breast pain
nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
a nipple discharge other than breast milk
a lump in the underarm area

If you have identified any of the above symptoms, it is important that you speak with your doctor to have them assess the issue and do additional testing. Your doctor may recommend a mammogram, which is an x-ray of the breast tissue, if they suspect you have breast cancer. It can help identify any cancer by capturing a picture of changes in tissue, obvious lumps, or less obvious areas of dense tissue. It is important to have mammograms regularly to detect breast cancer as early as possible. In general, doctors recommend mammograms once a year for women over 40 years old. If your risk of developing cancer is higher, your doctor may recommend starting earlier, or having them more frequently.

If you have abnormal results, additional testing may occur. There are many tests that can help determine whether you have breast cancer. These include:

Additional imaging: CT scan, ultrasound, MRI, or PET scans
Blood tests
Biopsies
Genomic tests
Physical exam by your doctor

The additional testing may delay a diagnosis of breast cancer by a few weeks and is used by your primary care physician and oncologists can determine the best course of action. The type, size, stage, and rate of of cancer growth help to determine which treatments will be more effective. Treatment options include but are not limited to:

Chemotherapy- the use of specific drugs to kill fast-growing cells in your body
Radiation- the use of high-energy beams to kill cancer cells in a targeted area
Lumpectomy- removal of a lump in your breast via surgery
Mastectomy- removal of the entire breast or breasts
Hormonal therapy- the use of hormone-blockers to decrease the chance that breast cancer will return
Targeted therapy- the use of drugs or other substances to block the growth and spread of cancer
Immunotherapy- therapies that boost your immune system to operate at a higher capacity than normal

If you have concerns about breast cancer, it is best to discuss with your doctor. It is important to ask questions about prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.