What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Many scoff at the idea of breast cancer symptoms in men. After all, men don’t have breasts, they have chests. It may be surprising to know that in the United States about 1900 men develop breast cancer per year. Breast cancer symptoms in men include:

” Skin dimpling or puckering
” Nipple retraction or inversion
” Redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin
” Nipple discharge – clear, milky or bloody

” Mass in the breast area, a lump that can be felt no matter how small
” Swelling or mass in the armpit, swelling of the breast
” Pain in the nipple or prolonged itching of the nipple
” Persistent tenderness of the breast

Breast Cancer Symptoms in men should be paid prompt attention. Males often ignore symptoms due to feelings of embarrassment that causes them to question their masculinity. They do not understand the gravity of breast cancer symptoms in men. Many males think their breast lumps are an infection or some other issue, and they do not get medical treatment until the mass has had a chance to grow, allowing cancer to spread into the tissue under the arm. Though lumps can easily be removed during a biopsy, allowing a quick analysis of the removed tissue, men are often embarrassed about finding a breast lump and worry that someone might question their masculinity. This belief tends to delay diagnosis and reduces a man’s odds of successful treatment and may cause needless death.

Male breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in men between the ages of 55 and 70 years old. Knowing their family health history can be a good indicator of when men should have a breast exam. It is recommended that men with a history of family cancer who are older than 55 be screened for breast cancer. But breast cancer symptoms in men have been diagnosed as young as their twenties.

Men with a BRCA gene mutation have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer (melanoma). In some men (and women), BRCA2 gene mutations have been associated with an increased risk of lymphoma, melanoma, and cancers of the pancreas, gallbladder, bile duct, and stomach. Furthermore, these cancers are more likely to develop at a younger age in men with a BRCA mutation.

Some of the other risks other than BRCA that increase the chance for breast cancer symptoms in men are seen with hyperestrogenism found in Klinefelter’s syndrome (XXY), obesity, and cirrhosis. A sign of hyperestrogenism is gynecomastia (abnormally enlarged male breasts). If Gynecomastia exists then any breast cancer symptoms in men should receive immediate medical attention from their doctor. Two more risks for developing male breast cancer include exposure to radiation and the use of the medication Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar), used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer. If any breast cancer symptoms in men develop with persons having this risk factors special attention should be given to them as there are to set protocols to follow at this time.

Male Breast Cancer Symptoms

There are many common symptoms of male breast cancer that men should be on the lookout for. Some of the common symptoms of male breast cancer are nipple pain, a lump felt in the breast, nipple discharge (clear or bloody), an inverted nipple, enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, sores on the nipple and areola (the small ring of color around the center of the nipple).

In addition, there are many early breast cancer symptoms that women should watch out for. Diagnosing breast cancer early can make a huge difference. In the beginning stages of breast cancer, it usually has no symptoms. However, as a tumor develops you may begin to see the following symptoms: one of which is a lump in the breast or underarms that continues to develop after your menstrual cycle is complete. This particular symptom is often the first symptom of breast cancer.

Another symptom of breast cancer is swelling in the armpit. Tenderness or pain in the breast is another common sign. Lumps are often painless but pain or tenderness can, in fact, be a symptom that one has breast cancer. An indentation or flattening on the breast may also be a sign. This can be a sign of a tumor that cannot be seen or felt. Any difference in the texture, size, temperature or contour of the breast can also be a symptom. Having a reddish color like the pic of an orange can also be a sign and so can changes in the nipple such as nipple itching, dimpling, retraction, or a burning sensation.

Clear or bloody discharge from the nipple is also a common symptom. Breast pain, skin irritation, dimpling, swelling of part or all of the breast are some common symptoms. One of the classic symptoms of breast cancer is the lump found in the breast or armpit.

Of the many breast cancer symptoms, pain is often another one. However, pain is also a symptom that can be mistaken for breast cancer when in reality the pain is caused by something else. Breast cancer has very few warning signs, however, and pain is actually rarely a sign of the disease. Very few complaints of breast pain are indeed breast cancer. Even though this is the case, if one is experiencing pain, a breast exam should be performed to ensure that there is no lump. For many women, it is also a good idea to track breast pain with their monthly cycle because the most common type of breast pain occurs during women’s monthly menstrual cycle and is related to our hormones. The breasts swell and become more tender and lumpy. Breast pain is also one of the symptoms of women who are premenopausal. Women need to take their pain into consideration and determine the other possible factors besides breast cancer that could be causing their pain. All in all, there are sever different symptoms of breast cancer in both males and females, and sometimes certain symptoms such as pain can be misinterpreted.

Symptoms of Advanced Breast Cancer

Breast cancer recurrence symptoms are often recognized by a small lump in the chest or breast area. Hardening of the breast or thickening of the tissue may occur. Discoloration of the skin may show up due to an interference with the normal flow of the blood through the lymph vessels in the breast tissue. Too much exposure of the breast to the sun can increase this recurrence as well. Wearing protective sun lotions with high UV intensity are recommended to avoided reoccurrence of breast and skin cancers.

Other breast cancer recurrence symptoms are a leakage of fluid which may leak from one or both nipples. This fluid may be void of color or milky in appearance and may also contain hints of blood with the discharge. The symmetry of the breast may also be affected. Parts of the breast may be dimpled or indented.

The skeletal structure particularly can be affected by recurrent cancer of the breast spreads. This is known as bone metastasis. Metastasis is different from cancer that begins in the bone. Cancer that leads to bone metastasis may have started in your breast, your prostate, your lungs, or other parts of your body. Cancer that has metastasized to the bone is not curable but treatable. Treatment will ease pain and slow the progression of metastasis.

Later stages of the reoccurrence of breast cancer may include breathing difficulties due to the involvement of the lung and surrounding structures. Especially if the left breast is involved, treatments may be difficult because radiation treatments may scorch the lungs or heart muscle. A physicist is always involved in the hospital procedure of radiation treatments to detect the proper angle of radiation to the breast.

Risks of breast cancer from reoccurring can be reduced with basic preventative measures of diet and hormone reduction methods. Over weight persons and persons with cancer histories may be more prone to recurrences of breast cancer if they do not focus on reduction of weight, through exercise and diet to reduce these risks. Ask your doctor about foods that also help prevent cancer and foods that can stimulate cancer growth. Soy products are notorious for fueling estrogen-induced cancers. The Aronia berry is known to fight cancers along with many other types of fruits and vegetables. A hospital dietician can be used for advice on the do's and don’ts of a well-balanced diet for breast cancer prevention.

Breast Cancer Symptoms in Men

Men, Milk Ducts, Mammograms, and Mastectomies?!?
How to detect possible breast cancer symptoms in MEN, and important signs to NOT disregard as arthritis, weight gain, age, and liver spots.

(Like we didn’t have enough to worry about with colon and prostate cancer)
Okay, I think most of America has seen Meet the Parents, and probably laughed when Jack made the comment to Greg,

“Well, I have nipples, can you milk me?” 1
The statement was funny because Greg was not only caught in a lie about milking cats on a farm, but the pun was the sarcastic question Jack posed to the male nurse. Basically, I am a male, I have nipples, I know you’re lying, and I’m going to humiliate you by asking a question EVERYONE knows the answer to Can you milk me?

The audience chuckles at the awkward question posed by the very blunt and judgmental Jack, and laughed aloud at the obvious embarrassment clouding the face of Greg, who mentally awarded Jack with a “Check Mate, Jerk!’

Enough about Hollywood, but as a man with no medical expertise, it was the first thing that popped in my mind as being somewhat relatable to the breast cancer symptoms I am about to describe.
Men, don’t fret! No one will be milking you anytime soon! That’s the light side of what I’m getting to lay on you. Did you know that breast cancer symptoms in men often include tumors around the nipples, and sometimes nipple drainage? Yes, our nipples can discolor, pucker, invert, and omit a discharge, most often resembling the color of breast milk.

I was even more shocked that another breast cancer symptom could possibly result in a condition called gynecomastias, or “Man Boobs. “As I have gotten older, I myself have acquired a small set of these. Until doing a minimal search on the web, I chalked my growth up as gaining weight, and simply joke that at least I have a set to play with when the misses tells me “NO!”.

I was partly correct in one of my assumptions, that men will deposit fat around the chest area, often when gaining weight. I was unaware of an underlying breast cancer symptom: elevated ESTROGEN! Yes men, as much testosterone as we produce, it is a medical fact that 85% of male breast cancer patients have elevated estrogen, which is a receptor to cancer cells. In addition, our fat cells can turn the male hormone androgen into the female hormone estrogen!

So simply stating, being obese could possibly make you more susceptible to breast cancer by pumping estrogen into our bodies, which as I just described, bonds very easily with cancer cells. Now, please be advised that most cases of gynecomastia are related to hormone levels during puberty to the age of 30, and does not mean you have breast cancer! If you or someone in your family suffers from hormone imbalance, I do recommend following up with a physician to check estrogen levels that are so easily joined with cancer cells.
Breast cancer symptoms, especially for men, may not be easily detectable. Nipple and chest pain and/or tenderness or swelling often occurs, accompanied by discoloration and change of nipple shape. The nipple may invert, or pucker and a bump may present.

Because men are usually unaware of potential cancer in their breast and overlook symptoms, studies have found that men diagnosed with breast cancer stood a higher chance of cancer metastasizing, or spreading to other parts of the body. A simple bump in or around a man’s chest is a breast cancer symptom that is very easy to dismiss and can be fatal. If the tumor grows, the likelihood that other systems in our bodies can be affected, and cancer can spread.

Men, once again, I am not a doctor. I’m not saying that every little bump, change in size, or color of our “pecs”, (I prefer to still call my chest area as pecs, not “breast tissue/muscle”) means run to your physician to be checked for cancer. This article is a very basic explanation of some causes of breast cancer and possible indicators to look for when determining reasons for abnormalities that might, to most men, be easily overlooked.

As always, discuss any questions and concerns with your physician, no matter how silly they may seem to be. Also, if you are unaware of your family’s medical history, try to get some information relating to diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition. Obtaining this information can assist your practitioner in determining tests to administer that may help in early detection of conditions that genetically, you may or may not, have had passed down to you. Some of the tests include the office breast exam, mammograms, and biopsies. If detected early, the male breast cancer survival rate is relatively high when treated in early stages. Your specialist will provide very detailed testing and treatment options.

Remember; don’t be afraid to ask your doctor any question! They are there to diagnose, treat, and educate patients, and there’s never a silly question when it pertains to your health!

Symptoms for Breast Cancer

I often felt that as a woman the possibilities of being stricken with either diabetes or cancer were very
possible. The afflictions were damned and embedded in me only because of my heritage and gender,
in addition, in the past, it was almost unheard of not assuming that African Americans were at a higher rate than any other ethnic group to succumb to either illness
.
Nevertheless, statistics, as well as ethnicity, has proven my theory invalid, because breast cancer does
not victimize one particular group of people, but it strikes all races and both genders. Breast cancer can surface by means of genetics, stemming from the paternal or maternal side of one’s family, or alternatively, at random, meaning anyone can develop the disease with/without a genetic connection. Nevertheless, whatever the cause for the surfacing of the disease, it is a life-changing, mind-altering occurrence.

The early stages of cancer, like a good number of diseases, it can harbor in the body leaving a person asymptomatic; having no apparent signs to alarm the body that something is consuming and/or destroying the tissue. However, the majority of patients find out about the disease through self-examinations, sudden topical changes, or by their primary practitioners’.

There are several forms of breast cancer, but the most aggressive are Invasive Ductile Carcinoma, which can be more dangerous. The reason is that danger is heightened is due to its silent progression and rarity in producing an indication of the disease, but the formality of a mass usually shows up during a mammogram screening in either male or female.

According to the Breastcancer.org, (a nonprofit organization) there are four significant stages to the
disease and with a series of testing, your oncologist can pinpoint the starting area and if it as progressed to other organs or within the lymph nodes throughout the body. Research has also suggested that though this disease has no gender preference, it is highly diagnosed more so in women than men with a surprising 0.22 percent of men’s cancer deaths from breast cancer (American Cancer Society.) The disease can affect either gender because of the amount of hormones generated and/or constant growth of ductile tissue, use of certain drugs such as marijuana, obesity, liver dysfunction and primarily genetics.

Advanced studies are continuously searching to find the makeup and correlation within its
developmental factors. Supportive teams belong to several non-profitable organizations consisting of
Scientologists that work tenaciously for a finite cure to stop the ailment before its formation can occur.

My aunt is a recent survivor of the disease, and even though she had a less aggressive form,(Mucinous Carcinoma), she had to partake of a very aggressive therapy. Through her four-month ordeal with chemotherapy and her eight-week bout with radiation, and the mastectomy, the disease had not shrunk enough to put her in the clear. However, with additional hormonal treatment and a concoction of “other therapies”, she eventually pulled through.

Such a trying time for a woman whom I have always had a great admiration for because she was
“always” the heroic one. Very strong minded and not easily knocked down, she held up very well during the fight for her life. The fight that only she, God and other cancer survivors could ever understand.

GREATER EXPOSURE TO MALE BREAST CANCER SYMPTOMS CAN ENCOURAGE CURE

Most people are familiar with the symptoms of breast cancer in women, however, male breast cancer symptoms tend to get overlooked. Statistics show that the prevalence of cancer in men is less than that in women, yet its appearance is much more severe. Men harbor the same tissues and tubules behind their nipples as women do. The lack of the female hormone, estrogen, inhibits the growth of regular breasts in men. Even so, these breast tissues are still vulnerable to contracting cancer.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE SYMPTOMS
There are a larger number of symptoms of breast cancer in young women than those that occur in men. Some of these symptoms include tenderness of the breasts, inverted or flat nipples, swelling of the armpits, and discharge from the nipples. These are all considered early breast cancer symptoms. The most commonly known symptom, the presence of lumps, is also the main breast cancer men symptom. Other male symptoms include bleeding or discharge of the nipples and irregularity of the skin around the breasts.

Male breast cancer symptoms are larger in severity than the symptoms of breast cancer in young women. This is a product of the fact that there is a much smaller level of breast tissue in men, causing very tiny lumps that are hardly noticeable. The lumps are considered early symptoms of breast cancer, whereas the most noticeable symptoms of bleeding and irregularity of the skin, are symptoms of more advanced stages of cancer. By the time the cancer is detected in these latter symptoms, it has already grown to larger sizes and metastasized (moved from the tubules) to other tissues and sometimes other areas of the body. This means that at these stages it can be impossible to cure cancer.

SELF EXAMINATION IN MEN CAN LESSON THE SEVERITY
The severity of cancer at each stage is the same for both men and women. When the cancer is isolated to the tubules and very small, it will express itself through bodily functions in the same way for a man as it will for a woman. This same phenomenon will occur when the tumors are very large and the cells have traveled around the entire body. Since cancer can be detected at earlier stages due to the more prevalent symptoms of breast cancer in young women, the symptoms are typically less severe. When cancer grows to a more advanced stage, the symptoms are much more severe and the cancer is much more difficult to cure.

Male Breast cancer symptoms should have an equal level of exposure to the public as the symptoms of breast cancer in young women in order to encourage male self-examination. Male self-examination will allow a man to notice those tiny lumps before they leave the tubules and become more difficult to remove. Men would not have to wait until there are bleeding or skin irregularities to notice that cancer has developed.

The Medical Industry is Finding Breast Cancer Symptoms in Men More than Ever

Breast cancer symptoms in men are becoming more prevalent than ever before. It was believed that in the past that only women were susceptible to the breast cancer. With advancements in the medical industry has proven that they are not alone. It is a well-known fact that men grow breast tissue as well and like any tissue, it is vulnerable to the same laws of the human body. We find more and more men are showing signs of breast cancer because the medical industry is finally looking for the disease in men. In the early days of medicine, the thought that a man could even have breast tissue was unheard of. If there is no breast tissue how could their cancer. In the past, any abnormal ‘lumps’ or hard spots on a man’s chest were simply dismissed as muscle. Fortunately, the science and medical community woke up and have recognized that breast cancer symptoms in men can and do exist.

Making Sure Doctors Check for Breast Cancer Symptoms in Men Thoroughly
Breast cancer symptoms in men may not manifest the same as they do in women. As mentioned before both men and women have breast tissue and are bound by the same laws of the human body, to an extent. The function of breasts are obviously different on men and women, thus there movement and muscle fibers are different. Women’s breasts are high in fat content due to reproductive functions, where men are more muscular or also known as pectoral muscles. We know scientific and medical studies that unused muscle turns to fat. This is where the trouble comes in, as muscle turns to fat, like women and breast cancer symptoms in men starts to rear its ugly head.

Breast cancer symptoms in men are much more difficult to detect than in women. Typically a woman can perform a preliminary breast exam with ease at home. Due to the softer tissue in women’s breast, finding ‘lumps’ or hard tissue is not as difficult. Men, on the other hand, have more muscle than fat, usually, and expect to have parts of the pectoral muscle that have hard spots. However as mention before, muscle does deteriorate and turn to fat, so finding a ‘lump’ or hard spot in an area that has turned to fat can still be used to find cancerous tissue in men. This is why it is vital for men to examine themselves and gain knowledge about the subject. Sure, in some cases, ‘lump’ or hard point amidst softer tissue may not be cause for alarm, but without the proper medical attention, a lot can go wrong. Since most breast cancer symptoms in men go unnoticed it is very important to ask your medical care provider to perform a thorough examination of any suspicious tissue or muscle formations.

Breast cancer symptoms in men are rare and most of us may never ever come across a man that has it, but it is important to know about it. Through research and medical care providers, can gain the insight to understand this disease. Remember, knowledge is power, and what greater power than that over your body, especially over an affliction as rare and hard to detect as breast cancer symptoms in men.

Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer in Women

There are many signs and symptoms of breast cancer in women from a lump in the breast or underarm to pain, discoloration, or any change in a size of the breast. During the early stages of the tumor’s development, there are no visible symptoms. Only has the tumor progress do signs and symptoms of breast cancer in women can be diagnosed. The most noticeable and apparent would be a lump in the breast or underarms. Following the menstrual cycle, the lump would be present as well as either pain or swelling or both in the armpits. Luckily a lump can be spotted by a mammogram even before pain or swelling occurs and therefore can be treated early reducing the risk for the lump to increase and becoming potentially life-threatening.

There are many other signs and symptoms of breast cancer in women that were once normally attributed to other diseases that are now known to be underlying symptoms of breast cancer. A change in the nipple shape and size or retraction, itching, burning sensations or rashes around the nipple and breasts, discharge from the nipple that may be liquid or blood and even ulcerations are other major signs that there is an underlying case of breast cancer. One general sign would be any change in the breast that is different from the other breast. With these many signs and symptoms of breast cancer in women, it would be easy to over diagnosis breast cancer, but that fact of the matter is there are many changes in the breast and breast tissue that do not turn out to be any sign of breast cancer at all. A regular mammogram and check up are all that would be needed to properly diagnosis if there is a chance of breast cancer occurrence.

Apart from the signs and symptoms of breast cancer in women mentioned above there is also thickening of the skin of the breast which is a sign that is usually ignored by many women because it tends not to be as noticeable as the other signs. The surest way to find out if a woman has breast cancer would be to have any number of imaging testing. Mammograms are first on the list of imaging tests because they check for screening and can show that everything is either okay or if you should get a biopsy. MRI scans can also be used alone with mammograms and are recommended for women with a high risk factor of getting breast cancer such as genetics or family history. A ultrasound can also be used since it sends sounds waves into the breast tissue and projects the image onto a screen where the doctor would be able to see the tumor. A pictogram is a special type of x-ray imaging that is used in the cases of nipple discharge, not a very common sign of breast cancer but a severe sign nonetheless. In any case most women should get a yearly mammogram in order to screen for breast cancer as well as perform personal checks for lumps in the breast and underarms as this would be the best way to identify the most common sign and symptom of breast cancer in women.