Symptoms
The first sign of breast cancer is often a painless lump. But early breast cancer is often found on a mammogram before a lump can be felt. Other symptoms of breast cancer may not appear until the cancer is more advanced. These include: A thickening in the breast or armpit. A change in the size or shape of the breast. Changes in the skin of the breast, such as a dimple or skin that looks like an orange peel. A change in the nipple, such as scaling of the skin or a nipple that turns in. A green or bloody fluid that comes from the nipple. A change in the color or feel of the skin around the nipple (areola). About 1% of breast cancer occurs in men. Although most men diagnosed with breast cancer are older than 65, the disease can appear in younger men. For this reason, any breast lump in an adult male is considered abnormal.7 Inflammatory breast cancer is a specific type of breast cancer that involves the skin of the breast. It occurs when breast cancer cells form "nests" and block the lymphatic drainage from the skin of the breast. Symptoms include redness, tenderness, and warmth. Thickening of the skin of the breast (an orange-peel appearance), rapid breast enlargement, and ridging of the skin of the breast may also be present. Some women may also develop a lump in the breast. For more information, see the topic Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
Treatment Overview
Breast cancer is usually treated with surgery, medicine, and radiation therapy. Because of improved screening methods, diagnosis at an early stage, and improved treatment techniques, the number of deaths from breast cancer has been steadily declining over the past few years. Decisions about how to treat breast cancer are based on a combination of factors that include specific information about the cancer, your preferences, and your health. When making decisions about treatment for your breast cancer, you and your doctor will consider: The size and location of your breast cancer (stage). How aggressive the breast cancer is. Whether your breast cancer has receptors to the hormones estrogen and progesterone, called estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status. Whether your breast cancer cells contain human epidermal growth factor (HER-2/neu). Whether your breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in your underarm area (axilla). You and your doctor will also consider your personal preferences and health when developing a treatment plan for you. This will include: Your feelings about keeping your breast. Your personal and family history of breast cancer. Your age and whether you have other serious health problems. Most people with breast cancer have surgery to remove the cancer from the breast. Some or all of the lymph nodes under the arm are also usually removed to find out whether the breast cancer has spread to this area. Even if your doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of your surgery, you may be treated with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy or hormone therapy may also be recommended to make sure that the breast cancer cells have been destroyed. You may also be given chemotherapy or hormone therapy to shrink your breast cancer before surgery. This is called neoadjuvant therapy. Initial treatmentInitial treatment of breast cancer may include: Surgery to remove the cancer. This may be done by removing the whole breast (mastectomy) or just the part of the breast that contains the breast cancer (breast-conserving surgery, or lumpectomy). Some of the lymph nodes under the arm will also be removed using either axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel node biopsy. Radiation therapy, which is the use of high-dose X-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. Chemotherapy, which is the use of medicine to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment, because the medicines enter the bloodstream, travel through the body, and can destroy cancer cells outside the target area. Hormone therapy with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, to change the way hormones in the body cause cancer growth. Treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin) if your breast cancer tests positive for human epidermal growth factor (HER-2/neu).
