Symptoms that should be reported to a doctor are breast or armpit lumps, nipple scaling or discharge, skin dimpling or reddening, swelling, ulceration or breast pain. Mammography is an x-ray technique designed specifically for the breast. The test often detects breast cancer before it can be felt. However, it also detects many non-cancerous masses which often results in painful and costly biopsies. Despite this, the benefits of mammography far outweigh the risks and is recommended that women with a family history be tested before the age of 40.
Treatment depends on the type and stage of breast cancer.
Early stages are treated best by breast conservation surgery, irradiation or mastectomy with or without breast reconstruction. These treatments, however are geared toward the actual site of cancer and do not affect cancer cells that have metastasized, or spread. As with most treatments, there are certain physical and psychological consequences. These may include sensory loss, hand and arm weakness, pain, post-operative complications or altered body image. Breast cancer has touched and taken many lives.