
Early Warning Signs of Breast Cancer Every Woman Should Know
Breast cancer is almost always associated with a lump on the breast. However, that’s not always the case and in some patients, doctors notice no lumps at all. It all depends on the type of cancer a person is suffering from, its stage, and other signs and symptoms. Most importantly, having certain symptoms does not always mean you are suffering from breast cancer. Many other factors go into the diagnosis apart from the breast cancer symptoms already accounted for. That is why most oncologists at Wockhardt Hospitals root for the early detection of breast cancer to ensure the patient gets the right treatment on time. To help evaluate things on time, let’s understand the early breast cancer symptoms, including their types, in detail. What is Breast Cancer, Actually? Breast cancer is a condition where the breast cells in the body grow abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly compared to other healthy cells and form a lump or a mass. In worst cases, the breast cells may also expand further and reach the lymph nodes or other parts of the body. Breast cancer mostly begins with cells in the invasive ductal carcinoma or the milk-producing ducts. They may also form in the invasive lobular carcinoma or the glandular tissue. This cancer type mainly happens due to various hormonal, lifestyle and environmental factors. What Are the Common Breast Cancer Types? Healthcare professionals have diagnosed multiple types of breast cancers over the years. However, the most common ones are: Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) It is a non-invasive type of breast cancer (stage 0) that occurs when cancer cells form in a particular breast duct. In this case, the cancer cells stay in the same duct and do not spread into the rest of the breast tissue. HER2-positive Breast Cancer This is an invasive breast cancer type that makes a lot of extra HER2 protein. These types of breast cancers often grow more quickly as seen in several reports and studies over the years. There are some targeted therapy medicines for these cancer types that help impact the cells making HER2 protein in the human body. Invasive Ductal Carcinoma This type of breast cancer generally starts in a breast duct. It is one of the most common forms of breast cancers that impact several individuals worldwide. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Invasive lobular carcinoma generally starts in a milk gland in the breast, which is also called a lobule. Triple-negative Breast Cancer In this type of cancer, the cancer cells do not have any receptors for HER2 or for the hormones progesterone and estrogen. Hence, the specific medications that target HER2 cannot work against this type of breast cancer. In some cases, endocrine therapy is recommended to block hormones in the body but that also may not work in triple-negative breast cancer. Early Symptoms of Breast Cancer Everyone Must Know As we mentioned earlier, breast cancer can have several symptoms but what matters more is the early signs that can help oncologists provide the best treatments. A painless lump in breast is one of the first signs associated with breast cancer. However, the primary fact here is that you may not always feel it yourself. Most lumps related to cancer are detected through routine screening with the help of a mammogram. Most women do not even have the apparent signs of breast cancer at the time of this diagnosis. Tumors are very tiny, especially during the early stages of breast cancer. That is why they are rarely noticeable to the touch of a person or the naked eye. This is where mammograms come in and help detect the tumor in a breast. That can be done long before people actually start noticing the symptoms and when the cancer is more likely treatable. In most cases, the tumors can be quite small, almost the size of a pencil, which is around 1 mm. In other cases, they are around 50 mm, which is the size of a lime. Mammograms can easily spot tumors in the breast on the smaller end of the spectrum, when they can’t yet be seen. However, these tools alone cannot catch every case of breast cancer on their own. That is why it is important for you to pay attention to changes in your breasts because you are the one who is most aware about the changes in your body. Symptoms of breast tumors vary from one person to another. Some common and very early warning signs of breast cancer are as follows: Swelling, redness, or other visible changes in one or both breasts An increase in size or change in shape of one of the breasts Changes in the appearance of the nipples Nipple discharge (instead of breast milk) General pain in any other part of the breast Nodes or lumps felt on or inside of the breast Early Invasive Breast Cancer Symptoms There are some symptoms that are more common in invasive breast cancer, such as: Irritated or itchy breasts Change in breast color Increase in breast shape or size (over a short period of time) Changes in touch (may feel tender, hard, or even warm) Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin Lump in breast or thickening Redness or pitting of the breast skin (like orange skin) However, there is also a chance that benign conditions may have caused the above changes. For example, changes to the breast’s skin texture may be caused by a skin condition like eczema. Meanwhile, swollen lymph nodes may also be caused by an infection in the breast or an unrelated illness. The correct thing to do here is to approach an oncologist at Wockhardt Hospitals for evaluation to determine whether the early sign you notice is cause for concern. Early Non-invasive Breast Cancer Symptoms Non-invasive or stage 0 cancer is an early stage of breast cancer. What is implied here is pretty simple: the tumor at this stage is often very small. Given that the




























