Breast Cancer
What Is It?
The breasts are made up of:- Fat
- Connective tissue
- Gland tissue divided into lobes
- A network of ducts spreads from the lobes towards the nipple. If you have 'ductal carcinoma in situ' (DCIS), cancer cells have been found inside these ducts.
The breasts are not usually the same size as each other. They may also feel
different at different times of the month - just before a period they can feel
lumpy.
You may have heard or read about 'breast density'. This changes with age.
Younger women have more glandular tissue in their breasts, which makes them
dense. Once a woman is past her menopause, the glandular tissue is gradually
replaced by fat, which is less dense. During breast screening it is harder to
read a mammogram if the breast tissue is dense. So mammograms are not as
reliable for young women. Specialists have also found that older women who take
hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) have denser breasts than would be expected for their
age.
Lymph glands are important in cancer care because any cancer cells that have
broken away from a tumour can be carried in tissue fluid to the nearest lymph
glands. This is why doctors always examine the lymph glands. If you have cancer,
but no cancer cells in any of your lymph glands, your cancer is less likely to
have spread.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include:
The first symptom of breast cancer for many women is a lump in their breast. But 9 out of 10 breast lumps (90%) are benign. That means they are not cancers.
Changes that could be due to a breast cancer are:
A lump or thickening in an area of the breast
A change in the size or shape of a breast
Dimpling of the skin
A change in the shape of your nipple, particularly if it turns in, sinks
into the breast or becomes irregular in shape
A blood-stained discharge from the nipple
A rash on a nipple or surrounding area
A swelling or lump in your armpit
Like breast lumps, these signs don't necessarily mean cancer. Inverted
nipples, blood stained nipple discharge or a rash can all be due to other
medical conditions.