If you learn to recognize what the breast cancer symptoms are, you empower yourself to find out what’s going on with your body. You might find out it’s not cancer. You’ve lessened the burden of worry because you recognized a possible symptom, and bravely forged ahead to get diagnosed.

If you do you have cancer, you have a much better chance reaching the goal of recovery and long-term survival than if you’d put it off.

If you can learn to identify symptoms you can often help friends and family by giving the extremely valuable gift of early detection and diagnosis.

The Breast Lump

If you perform self-breast exam, eventually you’ll find a lump. Is it a lump, or just normal “lumpiness,” many little benign lumps in both breasts? Breast lumps that suddenly occur need to be checked. Usually the smaller the lump, the better. The size of the lump may determine prognosis.

If a lump is found to be cancerous, what are the most common diagnoses? It could be a precancerous lump, such as ductal carcinoma in situ and less commonly, lobular carcinoma in situ.

The common types are invasive ductal carcinoma (about 80% of invasive cases), and invasive lobular carcinoma.

A Few Other Breast Cancer Symptoms

Dimpling of breast skin (“orange peel” appearance) is a symptom. Dimpling is caused by edema that surrounds a cancerous lump, which pulls on the skin.

Swollen or painful lymph nodes in the armpits or just above the collar bone signal possible cancer. Retracted, enlarged, scaly or itchy nipple, or even spontaneous change in sensation of the nipple may also be a sign.

Nipple discharge, especially on one side and bloody, yellowish or green, is a symptom in 4% of the patients with this symptom. Most women do have some kind of normal nipple discharge if the breasts are squeezed.

Constant pain on one side is sometimes a sign of breast cancer. Cyclical pain on both sides, caused by hormonal flux, is not a sign.

Asymmetry can be a symptom of cancer.

Breast skin redness, warmth and/or swelling can mimic non-cancerous infections or may be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer. If the infection doesn’t get better after a round of antibiotics, see your doctor.

In men, any breast lump, pain, or other change should be checked by a doctor.

Bone pain, significant weight loss, swelling of one arm, or ulceration of skin may be symptoms of advanced cancer, or may signify another condition. Diagnosis is essential.

Who Do I Ask?

Ask your family doctor. Your doctor may send you to a surgeon for biopsy, or if no lump is present, an oncologist.

What if you don’t have any symptoms? You must use the most current screening recommendations for your age.

With breast cancer, knowledge is power. The earlier you recognize a symptom and get diagnosed, the better.

About the Author:For more information on breast cancer try visiting http://www.breastcanceranalysis.com – a website that specializes in providing breast cancer related information and resources including information on breast cancer symptoms.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Can You Recognize Breast Cancer Symptoms?

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Though far less common than in women, men’s breast cancer is possible. According to the American Cancer Society, over 2000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, meaning men account for approximately 1% of all breast cancer cases diagnosed nationally. To gain more understanding about this lesser known male disease, take a look below.

Male Breast Cancer Symptoms

Though most lumps or changes in the breast for men are benign (not cancerous) abnormalities, men should still report any major changes, irritations or problems to their doctors as soon as possible.

The most common symptoms of breast cancer in men are actually quite similar to the symptoms for women. These include nipple inversion, detecting a lump, unexplained tissue growth, change in breast size, skin puckering or dimpling, nipple discharge, itchiness or redness.

Men generally have less breast tissue than women, making it much easier to detect lumps. However, this also means the cancer can spread to other parts of the body more quickly than in women. This is why early detection is so critical for men.

Contributing Factors for Men’s Breast Cancer

Elder Age

Most men diagnosed with male breast cancer are between the ages of 60 and 70.

Family History

Approximately 20 percent of men with breast cancer have one or more close family members who have or have had the disease.

Prior Radiation Exposure

Radiation exposure to the chest (for example, past treatment for lung cancer) can be a risk factor for the development of male breast cancer.

History of Liver Diseases

The liver works to regulate hormones, meaning men who have survived liver failure or liver disease often have lower levels of androgens, the male hormones. Those low levels can put them at a higher risk for developing breast cancer or non-cancerous tissue growth.

Estrogen Therapy

Often men who are being treated for prostate cancer are put on estrogen treatments to help control the disease. These men may be at a higher risk for developing breast cancer. That said, the American Cancer Society says those risks are small and worth the benefits of improved health for prostate cancer patients.

Klinefelter’s

Typically, men are born with one Y chromosome and one X chromosome. Klinefelter’s Syndrome is when a man is born with two or more X chromosomes (female chromosomes). Approximately 1 in 850 men were born with Klinefelter’s.

Men with this syndrome generally have lower levels of androgens and higher levels of estrogen and are therefore at a greater risk for developing male breast cancer.

How Breast Cancer in Men is Treated

Methods for treating men’s breast cancer include surgical removal of the tumor and any cancerous cells, chemo, radiation therapy, hormone therapy or a combination of all these treatments.

The survival rates for men with breast cancer often depend on the stage of the disease but range from 96% for stage I diagnosis to 24% for a stage IV diagnosis.

Men experiencing symptoms of breast cancer may be inhibited through embarrassment from requesting the assessment of a qualified physician. But given the severity of any type of cancer, the potential risk merits an extra effort to swallow one’s pride and make sure.

About the Author:For helpful information on various cancers – please visit cancerinfotips.com – a popular site providing symptom and treatment insights – such as men’s breast cancer – childhood osteosarcoma – and many more!
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – General Synopsis of Male Breast Cancer

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Dementia is not really a specific disease. It is used to denote a group of symptoms that are cause by disorders of the brain. People with dementia undergo drastic changes in the personalities and cognitive abilities. They may find it difficult even to carry out normal activities like dressing up, eating or brushing their teeth. They may become unable to control their emotions or solve problems. Along with personality changes they may even see things that aren’t there.

Dementia commonly occurs in Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that dementia is on the rise and the numbers are predicted to go up in future as well.

The best approach to tackle this is by preventative measures. Vascular disease, smoking, high blood pressure and smoking are contributing factors to dementia. These are factors that can be kept under control. Also, staying mentally fit and keeping the mind active either through a regular job or through a hobby could also be a highly useful and effective preventive measure.

SIDS

SIDS or Sudden Infants Death Syndrome denotes the infant suddenly dying in his sleep. The mothers whose babies die of SIDS are seen to have an increased risk of preterm delivery and other complications in later pregnancies. Studies conducted on mothers whose babies died of SIDS revealed that in future the women were more likely to deliver babies who were too small and have an increased chance of preterm delivery as well.

This could explain why some women have SIDS running in the family.

Breast Cancer

The traditional treatment methods of breast cancer painted a grim picture. Complete removal of breasts was often performed which led to severe physical and emotional trauma in patients. But now, the entire breast need not be removed, thanks to a procedure called lumpectomy where only the tumor is removed along with a small amount of surrounding tissue. The rest of the breast is saved and radiation therapy to the remaining  breast tissue drastically improves the chances of long term survival. Though US guidelines insist on radiation on the remaining breast tissue after conserving therapy, this is not always done because of the side effects and because so far there has not been any solid evidence that radiation is beneficial.

This is good news indeed for breast cancer patients, they may no longer need to undergo the psychological trauma of having to live with having one or both of the breasts removed.

Alex White is a free lance writer and a health & fitness expert who has been associated with several health care providers across various specialties. Through his articles, Alex White wishes to inform and educate public about Breast Cancer which will benefit those who are looking for resourceful information regarding health.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/about-dementia-sids-breast-cancer-1450878.html

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Technorati Tag: Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer of the breast tissue, which can occur in both women and men. Breast cancer may be one of the oldest known forms of cancer tumors in humans. Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer). Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. Today, breast cancer, like other forms of cancer, is considered to be a result of damage to DNA. How this mechanism may occur comes from several known or hypothesized factors (such as exposure to ionizing radiation, or viral mutagenesis). Some factors lead to an increased rate of mutation (exposure to estrogens) and decreased repair (the BRCA1, BRCA2 and p53) genes. Alcohol generally appears to increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer can also occur in men, although it rarely does. Experts predict 178,000 women and 2,000 men will develop breast cancer in the United States. There are several different types of breast cancer. First is Ductal carcinoma begins in the cells lining the ducts that bring milk to the nipple and accounts for more than 75% of breast cancers. Second is Lobular carcinoma begins in the milk-secreting glands of the breast but is otherwise fairly similar in its behavior to ductal carcinoma. Other varieties of breast cancer can arise from the skin, fat, connective tissues, and other cells present in the breast. Some women have what is known as HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2, short for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2, is a gene that helps control cell growth, division, and repair. When cells have too many copies of this gene, cell growth speeds up.

Causes of Breast Cancer

Simply being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer. While men can also get the disease, it is about 100 times more common in women than in men. The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Nearly 8 out of 10 breast cancers are found in women age 50 or older. About 5% to 10% of breast cancers are linked to changes (mutations) in certain genes. The most common gene changes are those of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease. The relatives can be from either the mother’s or father’s side of the family. Woman with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is different from the first cancer coming back Many experts now believe that the main reason for this is because they have faster growing tumors. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer. Certain types of abnormal biopsy results can be linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.Women who have had radiation treatment to the chest area (as treatment for another cancer) earlier in life have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer

Some pregnant women were given the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol) because it was thought to lower their chances of losing the baby. Recent studies have shown that these women (and their daughters who were exposed to DES while in the uterus), have a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer. Use of alcohol is clearly linked to a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer. Women who have 1 drink a day have a very small increased risk. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1½ times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. The American Cancer Society suggests limiting the amount you drink.Being overweight is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, especially for women after change of life and if the weight gain took place during adulthood. Also, the risk seems to be higher if the extra fat is in the waist area. Breast-feeding and pregnancy: Some studies have shown that breast-feeding slightly lowers breast cancer risk, especially if the breast-feeding lasts 1½ to 2 years. This could be because breast-feeding lowers a woman’s total number of menstrual periods, as does pregnancy. Women who began having periods early (before 12 years of age) or who went through the change of life (menopause) after the age of 55 have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

1.Lumps.

2.Rash.

3.Breast Pain.

4.Cysts.

5.Nipple Discharge.

6.Inverted Nipple.

Treatment of Breast Cancer

1.Hormonal therapy (with tamoxifen).

2.Chemotherapy.

3.Radiotherapy.

4.Surgery.

About the Author:Juliet Cohen writes health articles for health care guide. She also writes articles for women health.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Breast Cancer – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

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Technorati Tag: Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Symptoms

Breast cancer is considered as a killer disease and it is known to be the top cause of cancer death among women. According to American cancer society, about 1.3 million new breast cancer cases are diagnosed on an annually basis which includes 465,000 deaths. In order to successfully tackle this devastating disease, we must encourage innovative scientists to study cancer at its most basic level. In other words, breast cancer research work should be conducted at its molecular level. Also, besides the governments, private organizations should provide flexible funding to scientists who will be conducting breast cancer research work. Proper funding of breast cancer research projects; can not only lead to better prevention strategies but it can also help towards earlier diagnostic techniques and new anticancer drugs and treatments.

A world renowned cancer researcher, named Lothar Hirneise has come to an understanding that cancer exist with stress. He is of the opinion that when the mind is under constant stress, the body then produces high levels of stress hormone called Cortisol. The immune system gets suppressed with high levels of Cortisol in the body. Also, a stressed mind will release out Adrenaline to an extent of depletion. People suffering from cancer are found to be having almost no adrenaline in their cells. In fact, cells of cancer patients are often overloaded with insulin and plenty of sugar. Another leading German cancer researcher by the name of ‘Ryke-Geerd Hamer has gone through twenty thousand cancer patients and found a direct relationship between psycho-emotional conflict and cancer patients. This occurs between 1 to 3 years, prior to cancer diagnosis and cancer forming within the body. Cancer patients, who have experienced a psycho – emotional conflict shock, in the form of loss of a loved one etc, few years prior to their cancer urine, has experienced emotional pain and stress within themselves. Such a state of mind can have an adverse effect on the immune system of the person’s body.

Recently, researchers who are working towards breast cancer research project, have developed and successfully tested a breast cancer vaccine which is likely to treat women with treatment – resistant HER2 – positive breast cancer and thus be able to prevent cancer re – occurrence. Breast cancer researchers look forward to use HER2 DNA vaccines for cancer – free women, in order to prevent initial development of such tumours. At present, therapies such as trastuzumab and lapatimib are used towards treating breast cancer patients. However, it was lately noticed that a huge group of patients develop a resistance towards trastuzumab and lapatimib. HER2 receptors are known to promote a particularly aggressive type of tumour that affects about thirty percent of breast cancer patients.

The new breast cancer vaccine is produced by the body’s own cells. It delivers a cancer fighting gene into cells, which then produce immune system proteins and also tumor – destroying cells. According to the lead researcher Wei – Zen Wei, a professor of immunology and microbiology at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, the vaccine is made by using so – called naked DNA from genes that produces the HER2 receptor. This DNA is put along with an immune stimulant. The process involved in the making of the vaccine, is called as electroporation. In this process, pulses of electricity were used in order to inject the vaccine into the leg muscles in mice. The genes moved towards the cells, which then produced HER2 receptors that led to activation of antibodies and immune cells called Killer T cells. This vaccine is unique and much more research will be further required so that it can one day be applicable towards humans for treating breast cancer.

About the Author:Gary Leonard; I have been interested in cancer since my brother Jerry was diagnosed with colon cancer five years ago. After two surgeries he is doing well and is still cancer free. The first surgery was to remove a large tumor from his colon and the second was to remove his colon. Needless to say he has been through a lot and the road to recovery was a long one. About two years ago my brother Fred was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Man, you talk about devastating! Well after about a month or two the shock started to ware off and treatments started to begin. My brother Fred was in denial for, what seemed to be a long time. I wanted to write about both of my brothers cancers but, decided against it thinking it would hurt them some how so I decided to write about cancers that no one in the family has as of yet. If you’d like to send a massage of support to my brothers Jerry and Fred, leave a comment here and I’ll see that they get it. If you’d like more information on breast cancer treatment, please click this link.http://www.understanding-breast-cancer-treatment.com P.S. My brother Fred is doing well. The chemo the doctors used on him shrunk the tumor until it was off the radar. We’re not sure its gone but we know that its not growing, at least for now.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – All About Breast Cancer Research and Treatment

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