Breast Cancer
Aside from skin cancer, the most common cancer diagnosed in American woman is breast cancer. However, men also develop breast cancer in rare cases as for every one man diagnosed with breast cancer there are 100 women. Most often breast cancer is diagnosed after the individual finds a lump or mass in the breast or surrounding area. Although other cancerous tumours tend to be hard and have sharper edges, breast cancer tumours more often than not tend to be softer and more rounded. One other distinction is that other cancerous tumours are more often than not painless, whereas those of the breast tend to cause pain. Many health professionals suggest that women perform self breast exams in order to examine whether or not they have developed any lumps or masses. There are also a whole list of other breast cancer symptoms. They include: the inversion of the nipple, dimpling or swelling of the breast, pain in the breast and/or nipple, discharge from the nipple, or changes of the skin of the breast and/or nipple so that the area is red, scaly, and/or more thick than usual.
Ductal carcinoma develops in the ducts of the breast and is the most commonly diagnosed type of breast cancer. Other types of breast cancer can develop in the lobules of the breast (the part of the breast in which breast milk is developed) or other parts of the breast. Known as ductal carcinoma in situ, abnormal cells are sometimes found within the lining of the ducts of the breast but have not yet spread outside of it. When this does occur, it is referred to as Invasive breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the cancer of the breast that causes the breast to appear red and swollen. The breasts of individuals with this type of cancer can also be warm to the touch. This is due to the lymph vessels of the skin being blocked by the cancerous cells.
