Time is a playing factor through this stage. It’s what separates breast cancer symptoms and its complications. As a matter of fact, you can not consider it as an unfortunate thing that even happens to some women – and men – that you’re totally far from. I’m not here to make you worry, but it’s best to talk in statistics to show the real case.
Many studies show that breast cancer in particular is widely common, yet, it also shows how early diagnosis and treatment make it easier to beat. Currently, overcoming breast cancer symptoms is higher than ever due only to early diagnosis. So, you should always stick to a periodic check-up, as breast cancer symptoms and early signs could be silent.
Accordingly, let’s spread out some statistics concerning breast cancer symptoms, as it’s considered the most common type of cancer among women, with 16% of total cancer female patients. Moreover, breast cancer symptoms and complications are responsible for 18% of deaths that happen due to cancer worldwide for both genders.
Therefore, you should understand the importance of periodic check-ups, every 6 months maximum, and yet, you should always be aware of any distinctive signs that could take place concerning breast shape and color.
How Does Breast Cancer Make You Feel?
Many questions roll around about breast cancer symptoms, how it affects your body, and if there’re any primary signs that you depict it early.
In fact, you can detect many breast cancer symptoms yourself, which basically take the shape of a lump. It could be enough worrying signs to make you head to a doctor immediately.
Breast Cancer Symptoms
Many ways to elaborate breast cancer symptoms are various and could change from one patient to another according to many factors. Despite that, it could have no obvious symptoms to deal with or make you worry, making it hard to diagnose early.
On the other hand, many symptoms could be as clear as the sun if they occur and should make you wonder and check with a doctor as soon as possible to avoid possible complications.
The most common breast cancer symptoms are as follows:
1- Breast lump:
The most common symptom and you can notice it. Usually, this lump takes place on the breast or at the armpit. This lump would have different tissues compared with breast tissues, you can easily feel it and sense tissues difference through this area in particular. Instantly, you should go check a specialist doctor.
2- Breast shape variation:
Another common symptom to take place is where the breast could change in shape or form, swelling or thickening of parts of the breast in a way you can easily feel. Moreover, you could feel breast tenderness or note a change concerning the nipple form and shape.
3- Dimpling of breast skin:
In the opposite direction of the first symptom we mentioned, the breast could have some dimples along the skin.
4- Breast skin irritation:
You could feel breast skin irritation that could extend to the surrounding area. It’s one of the main breast cancer symptoms, which could make you feel itchy. You can not ignore the such sign.
5- Breast skin peeling:
One of the breast cancer symptoms that could take place would be a strong indicator.
6- Breast skin redness:
When the breast color is reddish than normal, you should consider visiting a doctor.
7- Nipple area:
Many breast cancer symptoms are connected to the nipple area, such as newly inverted nipple and nipple pain.
8- Nipple discharge:
When the nipple discharges fluids other than milk, it’s a clear sign of a problem. It could be blood or a transparent fluid.
9- Breast pain:
It could happen for some women, and it’s not like any other pain you have experienced.
Thus, you can notice any abnormal event and take action accordingly, yet, it doesn’t mean by certainty when you get any of the previous symptoms that, it has to be breast cancer. It could be benign with no cancer textures. However, you still have to visit a doctor to deal with it in the right way, who would advise eradicating it without eradicating the breast itself, or having chemotherapy sessions afterward.
Accordingly, you can understand the full image and get the whole point of why you should be checking up periodically in order to avoid its complications.
Out of this point, let’s spread out the main complications related to such cases, which you have to avoid.
Breast Cancer Complications
Unfortunately, as with any other type of cancer, breast cancer complications could be deadly, but there’s always hope; science and medicine are in constant development, especially concerning cancer issues and treatment, noting that healing percentages have jumped marvelously throughout the last few years, and always we should highlight the role of early diagnosis through treatment efficiently.
So, let’s spread out the most common complications related to breast cancer symptoms.
1- Pain:
One of the main breast cancer complications, yet still could be controlled, is to feel breast pain as the lump puts pressure on internal organs.
Not to mention that due to this lump, the breast could be secreting some chemical fluids that could cause pain in one way or another.
2- Bones cancer:
One of the most common and critical breast cancer complications, cancer cells would move to attack bones, causing many more complications. Usually, it happens through late stages, which hadn’t been diagnosed early and dealt with as it should.
Bones cancer could lead to many complications, such as:
– Bones melting
– Higher calcium levels in the blood
– Pressuring on bone marrow, leading to numbness and pain in the neck and back.
– Difficulties in walking normally
– Difficulties in bladder control
3- Lungs cancer:
Lung cancer doesn’t have obvious symptoms in most cases, yet, it’s the most critical type. Breast cancer cells could move to hit lung cells, which’s considered a fatal complication.
However, some signs could take place indicating lung cancer, between which we can mention the following:
– Chest pain
– Difficulties breathing
– Frequent cough
– Lungs inflammation and pulmonary insufficiency
– Pleural effusion due to cancer cells accumulation in the lungs fluid.
4- Liver got hit:
Cancer cells could still move around and hit other organs, such as the liver. It’s a highly common breast cancer complication that hits half of the cases.
Liver cancer could lead to many symptoms and complications, between which we can mention the following:
– Permanent pain
– Feeling of a full stomach
– Jaundice (an illness that causes skin color to change to yellowish)
– Excessive weight loss
– Blockage of bile ducts
5- Brain cancer:
In some cases, breast cancer would develop, and cancer cells could reach and hit brain cells, leading to many more critical complications as follows:
– Weak memory
– Unable to act normally
– Weak ability of sight
– Feeling dizzy
– Feeling head pain
– Nausea
– Excessive vomiting
Breast Cancer Treatment Complications
On the other hand, the treatment itself is most probably causing many complications and side effects, usually a phase along the treatment process that could be handled differently.
Between these complications, we can mention the following:
1- Inflammation:
One of the breast cancer treatment complications is due to different types of treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgeries.
Inflammation could cause:
– High fever
– Breast redness
– Swelling breast
2- Lymphedema:
Due to surgery to eradicate the breast, some lymphatic vessels could be destroyed and damaged, leading to lymphedema. This case would cause a swelling arm on the hit breast side. Accordingly, the patient should take care not to get this arm injured.
3- Peripheral Neuropathy:
Numbness throughout limbs, especially arms and legs, directly impacts the patient’s ability to move normally. This could happen due to chemotherapy and could last for a long time, even after ending receiving sessions.
4- Heart diseases:
Many breast cancer treatments could lead to some heart conditions, influencing heart ability and efficiency.
Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy are the main reasons for heart pulse diseases, abnormal heart rates, and heart valve problems. And yet much more diseases and conditions could lead to heart malfunction.
Breast Cancer Prevention
Better than treating is preventing!
Despite the fact that there are no accurate ways to prevent breast cancer in general, still, there’re a few steps that you can follow that reduce the risk of it and have a healthy life in general.
Between these steps, we can mention the following:
– Avoid alcoholic drinks as much as you can.
– Having at least a daily 30 minutes practice session, sport and workout would help you have a more active life and helps you avoid many chronic diseases such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
– Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy, as many studies point to the high risk of having many types of cancer due to hormone therapy during such an age period. You should always consult your doctor before quitting any type of therapy.
– Follow a healthy diet and lifestyle to keep your weight within the healthy borders. This would let you avoid obesity and high cholesterol levels as well; it’s recommended to follow the Mediterranean diet, which consists mainly of healthy fatty fish, olive oil, and nuts.
In conclusion, we should always remind you, and every other woman, to follow up with a specialist doctor periodically. You should always remember that early diagnosis would give the highest chance of healing. Stay healthy!
