The statistics are staggering; one in eight women in the United States has either had or will have breast cancer during her lifetime. The National Breast Cancer Foundation predicts that over two-hundred thousand women and nearly two-thousand men will be diagnosed this year alone. And while it continues its reign as the second leading cause of death in women, it also continues to be highly responsive to early treatment.

In fact, early detection and treatment can significantly increase a patient’s chance for recovery; the survival rate reaches nearly 95% for those who are treated quickly and proactively. But in order to increase your chance for detection – and subsequently receive this imperative treatment – every woman must be familiar with the symptoms.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with fifty percent of cases being diagnosed well into a woman’s fifties. Subsequently, doctors and researchers recommend a lifetime of screenings that can help identify the early stages. Of course, in combination with medical screenings should be a comprehensive routine of breast self-examination to check for any abnormalities. In line with this self awareness should be a thorough knowledge of symptoms so that women can recognize the signs and be checked and treated early.

If early cancer is detected by the discovery of a lump in the breast, this is usually far in advance of any symptoms. This is why it is so important to conduct self-examination and be examined by a doctor during your routine gynecological exam. But cancer that continues to go unnoticed will often eventually begin to produce symptoms.

Aside from the finding of a lump in the breast, under the armpit, or above the collarbone, some of the more common symptoms include: nipple discharge, change in the shape of the breast, nipple inversion that did not exist previously, and redness, rash, or textural changes in the skin of the breast. Keep in mind, that all of these symptoms can also be attributed to a number of other disorders; it is absolutely imperative to check all breast changes or abnormalities with your doctor.

Breast cancer symptoms vary from woman to woman. Not every woman experiences every symptom. And when symptoms are experienced, the level and frequency with which they are experienced vary significantly depending on the cancer and the woman. Ultimately, it is most important that women know their own bodies and listen to the messages their bodies are sending them. Never let a doctor brush you aside with a promise that nothing is wrong if you feel differently. No one knows your body better than you do.

A diagnosis of breast cancer can sometimes feel like the end of the world. But the truth is, that in this day and age of continued medical and technological advancement, the odds of beating it are actually quite good if you are educated and involved in protecting your own health. Learn to recognize breast cancer symptoms and be an advocate for your own body.

Causes

Janet Lane-Claypon orchestrated the first scientific study of breast cancer during the mid-1920s. Eighty years later, we still lack a full understanding of what exactly causes breast cancer. We do know that all cancers are caused by some kind of damage to the DNA. Exposure to radiation, estrogen hormones, diet, and geography are all elements that could contribute to the mutation of DNA, leading to several kinds of cancer. Our inability to find a cure results from our inability to determine the root cause of breast cancer. The risks of breast cancer increase as women age. Women who are fortunate enough to live to be ninety have a one in seven chance of getting breast cancer. Family history is another important factor. Women whose mothers, grandmothers, and aunts suffered from breast cancer are more likely to experience breast cancer as well.

Symptoms

Regular breast examinations and mammograms are so important because the symptoms of breast cancer are completely painless and difficult to detect. Lumps on the breast, under the arm or above the collarbone that do not go away is one sign. Breast discharge, skin discolorations, and nipple inversion are also warning signs. Please review our guide to self-examinations below.

Treatment

Surgery remains the most popular form of treatment. Hormonal therapy is often used in tandem with surgery. The severity of a patient’s condition, whether it be high or low risk, designates the specific cycle of hormonal treatment.

Patients are subjected to X-rays or gamma rays that bombard the cancerous tumors with powerful radiation. This is done using a machine called a linear accelerator. This treatment is often used in conjunction with surgery. Sometimes radiation will be used after surgery to clean up any remaining cancerous material that was not removed by the surgery. Other times, the radiation is used as a precursor to surgery to prepare the area for invasive entry. Radiation treatment is performed for about fifteen minutes each day, for five days a week. This goes on for five to seven weeks. Because normal cells repair themselves much more quickly than cancerous cells, we can use radiation without the risk of permanently damaging normal tissue.

Chemotherapy is also performed before and after surgery. Here are some common types of chemotherapy:

Tamoxifen is used to block estrogen receptors, common in cells, in order to stop the transportation of estrogen between cells.

Aromatase inhibitors lowers the estrogen count in post-menopausal women.

GnRH-analogues can be useful during the early stages of breast cancer.

Ovarian ablation or suppression can be used to stop the ovaries from producing hormones in pre-menopausal women

If you learn to recognize what the breast cancer symptoms are, you empower yourself to find out what’s going on with your body. You might find out it’s not cancer. You’ve lessened the burden of worry because you recognized a possible symptom, and bravely forged ahead to get diagnosed.

If you do you have cancer, you have a much better chance reaching the goal of recovery and long-term survival than if you’d put it off.

If you can learn to identify symptoms you can often help friends and family by giving the extremely valuable gift of early detection and diagnosis.

The Breast Lump

If you perform self-breast exam, eventually you’ll find a lump. Is it a lump, or just normal “lumpiness,” many little benign lumps in both breasts? Breast lumps that suddenly occur need to be checked. Usually the smaller the lump, the better. The size of the lump may determine prognosis.

If a lump is found to be cancerous, what are the most common diagnoses? It could be a precancerous lump, such as ductal carcinoma in situ and less commonly, lobular carcinoma in situ.

The common types are invasive ductal carcinoma (about 80% of invasive cases), and invasive lobular carcinoma.

A Few Other Breast Cancer Symptoms

Dimpling of breast skin (“orange peel” appearance) is a symptom. Dimpling is caused by edema that surrounds a cancerous lump, which pulls on the skin.

Swollen or painful lymph nodes in the armpits or just above the collar bone signal possible cancer. Retracted, enlarged, scaly or itchy nipple, or even spontaneous change in sensation of the nipple may also be a sign.

Nipple discharge, especially on one side and bloody, yellowish or green, is a symptom in 4% of the patients with this symptom. Most women do have some kind of normal nipple discharge if the breasts are squeezed.

Constant pain on one side is sometimes a sign of breast cancer. Cyclical pain on both sides, caused by hormonal flux, is not a sign.

Asymmetry can be a symptom of cancer.

Breast skin redness, warmth and/or swelling can mimic non-cancerous infections or may be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer. If the infection doesn’t get better after a round of antibiotics, see your doctor.

In men, any breast lump, pain, or other change should be checked by a doctor.

Bone pain, significant weight loss, swelling of one arm, or ulceration of skin may be symptoms of advanced cancer, or may signify another condition. Diagnosis is essential.

Who Do I Ask?

Ask your family doctor. Your doctor may send you to a surgeon for biopsy, or if no lump is present, an oncologist.

What if you don’t have any symptoms? You must use the most current screening recommendations for your age.

With breast cancer, knowledge is power. The earlier you recognize a symptom and get diagnosed, the better.

In today’s world, is it that occurrences of breast cancer are growing much more than it was years ago, or it is just that breast cancer is getting more visibility in the press and medical journals? It appears that the answer is a little bit of both. The population is increasing and therefore the actual number of cases is more, although the actual percentage of people diagnosed with breast cancer is not significantly different (although it is higher) than in years past.

One of the things that many people fail to understand is that anyone can get breast cancer. Although it is thought to be tied somewhat to being hereditary, that does not mean that you will not get breast cancer if there is no occurrence of it in your family history.

Another thing that is equally puzzling is why more people, particularly women where breast cancer is most likely to happen, do not get regular checkups from their doctor to check for it. I know of multiple people who were diagnosed with breast cancer, and when asked when the last time they had a mammogram done to check for the presence of breast cancer, they indicated it had been a number of years. This is truly unfortunate because like most things, if breast cancer is caught as early as possible, the chances of beating it become incredibly greater.

You should be aware of the symptoms of breast cancer, sometimes also known as inflammatory breast caner so that you can see your doctor as soon as possible if these symptoms exist. These symptoms include:

* A breast that appears bruised, or is pink or purple.

* If your breast is feeling tender or firm and enlarged.

* A consistent warm feeling in the breast.

* Pain or itching in the breast that is constant.

* A ridged or dimpled skin texture, kind of like an orange peel.

* Flattened, retracted, swollen or crusted skin around the nipple.

* Lumps or enlarged lymph nodes under the arm or around the collarbone.

This is not an exhaustive list of symptoms but if you are experiencing any of these symptoms or signs, you should see your doctor as soon as possible to get checked out. Most health insurance companies will pay for this examination, because they realize that it is going to cost them much more if the cancer is allowed to grow instead of being diagnosed, caught, and remedied early on in its development stages.

Many of these same symptoms can also indicate the presence of a breast infection called mastitis. This type of infection most frequently (although not exclusively) occurs in younger women, usually under age 35, who are breast feeding young children. This is not breast cancer but is a simple infection that is most easily treated with prescription antibiotics. It is frequently accompanied by fever. The difference here is that breast cancer does not cause a fever, nor does it respond to antibiotics.

The bottom line is that you need to be aware of the classic symptoms of breast cancer, since the earlier it is diagnosed and treated, especially with the advances in today’s medicines, the better your chances of beating it.

Back pain commonly called, as backache is a frequent complaint by 80 percent of the global population at any point of their life cycle. Our back consists of structured bones along with muscles and tissues, which are very soft. Backache always plays a main part in delaying or missed work. Our every movement solely depends on our back and since prevention is possible it has to be taken utmost care. Home remedies along with proper body mechanics helps in keeping body ache away from us. Treatment for back pain does not require surgery. Pain relievers help a lot and rest plays a main role.

Back pain can be from a slight ache to a strong pain. Severe backache occurs abruptly and may last for one or two days. If the pain is felt for more than weeks together it’s referred as chronic. This type of pain normally fades as time passes but the duration will be long. Bed rest for more than two days will worsen the condition of the patient. If back pain is felt after injury it is important to get examined at the earliest.

Reason for backache may be due to lifting heavy things in an improper position or a swift change in the body position. Our lower back is very important as it carries majority weight of the body. Increase of stress towards a particular location or muscle tremor in the lower back muscles can also lead to back ache. But in several cases the reason for backache is not clear. Risk factors also include the type of occupation, Poor posture and lack of physical work or sedentary.

If the disk on the back gets pressed to the nerve it may lead to Herniated disk. Sciatica occurs at the sciatic nerve due to the influence of herniated disk and creates unbearable back pain inside the buttocks and leg. Due to over growth of bone or because of arthritis Spinal stenosis occurs where the space shared by the spinal cord with the nerve roots gets limited or reduced which in turn creates pinching feeling on the nerves. Spondylosis occurs due to aging. Spondylolisthesis happens in the spinal column if one of the vertebras slips above another vertebra in forward position. Loss of control in the bladder or insensitive feeling in the groin part along with legs getting weakened are neurological problems known as Cauda equina syndrome.

Cancers in the spine or a fever with warm feeling in the back area along with pain are also some of the reasons for backache. If the patient has undergone many surgeries for varied reasons it can lead to chronic back pain where the possibility of treatment is limited.

Symptoms of back pain includes intense pain while you are lying down and pain spreads from one leg to another and pain in the abdomen followed by fever or weight loss drastically with out any reason. Back pain could be due to an injury in the back and can lead to serious health problems in the future.

Diagnosis for back pain will not be through laboratory tests but assessment will be made on the posture of the back and actions like sitting, standing and lifting legs. A reflex hammer, which is made of rubber, will be used to test the reflexes of your body. The examined results help in identifying the exact location of pain, the degree of activity you can perform without pain and the possibility of muscle spasms. They also aid in ruling out other serious reasons of back pain.

Back pain could be totally avoided by improvising your health condition and following body mechanics like good and smart way of standing, sitting, lifting and sleeping in a regular way. Aerobics and Physical activity with less stress along with balanced height and weight help in avoiding back pain. Smoking has to be stopped as it slows down the healing process.

Back pain can be effectively treated less expensively through regular exercise and by practicing smart posture. If back pain is not controlled, it may lead to other complications that may be too costly to treat.

One of the very common medical problems is low back pain. Lower back pain is pain felt and travels in the ribs particularly in the back or in the upper part of legs. This pain starts suddenly and could be the follow up of strain or an injury. Sometimes the pain may not have anatomical cause. Sit up or turn over posture may be difficult and the worse could be bending or sitting. Even a sneeze or a cough can be painful.

Back pain normally gets resolved within weeks but the pain undergone by the patients is unbearable. Conservational treatments are normally taken for lower back pain since it is temporary and slowly resolve with time.

For a speedy recovery, proper treatment has to be started only after knowing the exact cause for its occurrence. The main reason for lower back pain can be Lumbar muscle strain and ruptured disc or herniated disc. Disc damage in the inter vertebral column leads to Discogenic lower back pain and this could be diagnosed using discogram. But this in no way relates to herniated disc where the back gets pressed to the nerve. Aging population come across Spinal stenosis as the spinal canal is thinned. This may happen due to arthritis or any other specific conditions. Any joint ache is termed arthritis and particularly on the spine creates lower back pain.

Spinal stenosis causes back pain in the aging population. As we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions. If the spinal canal becomes too tight, back pain can be the result. Spondylolisthesis occurs due to the instability of adjacent vertebras which start to slip. This results in unstable spine and ends in lower back pain. Osteoporosis Leads to many orthopedic complications and is mostly referred as the compression fractures of vertebral column. This weakens the bones and hence the possibilities of getting fractures are more .If back pain continues for 6 weeks or less it’s referred as acute. If this continues for less than 12 weeks it is described as sub-acute. It’s termed as chronic if it persists for more than 3 months.

Diagnosis is helped by blood tests and scan but not to a greater extent and X rays are not advised due to high radiation. Muscle strain heals quickly as the blood supply is good and carries the needed nutrients with proteins for healing. Bed rest is advised for severe pain but not for two days or more. Hot or cold application eases the pain to a certain extent. People who are active with good physique can avoid low backache, as there will be regular stretch of muscles. The supporting muscles of the spine are extensors, which include back and gluteal muscles, Flexors, which comprise abdominal and iliopsoas muscles and the last one is the side muscles also called as rotators. It’s also referred as Obliques .Not all these muscles are used in day-to-day life and they get weakened with age.

Lower backache exercise program should combine stretching and strengthening exercises with aerobics. Common symptoms of lower back pain for people less than 60 year old will be pain in legs or numbness and pain during movement and sitting. Older people will have symptoms like increase of back pain during the morning g and evening periods with stiffness in the back and. pain is also felt downwards in the legs. Psychological reasons play main role on pain levels and so person’s attitude and situation plays an active role.

Neurological symptoms like weakening, feeling of numbness or tingling sometimes accompany pain. Immediate attention is needed if there is a dysfunction in bladder or in the bowel and weakness or numbness in the groin.

Precautions like avoidance of stress and maintaining proper weight with regular exercise help in eliminating the problems of lower back pain.

Back pain is an all-too-familiar problem that can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that leaves you incapacitated. It can come on suddenly – from an accident, a fall, or lifting something too heavy – or it can develop slowly, perhaps as the result of age-related changes to the spine. Regardless of how it happens or how it feels, you know it when you have it. And chances are, if you don’t have it now, you will eventually.

Lower back pain, also known as lumbago, affects 7 out of 10 people at some time in their lives. Low back pain means a pain or ache anywhere on your back, in between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the legs.

The pain can come on suddenly, slowly or be the direct result of a fall or injury.

There are many causes of back pain.

• The most common cause is a strain of the back, which is a small tear of the back muscles or ligaments. This usually results from a sudden or awkward movement, or from lifting a heavy object. But often, a person can’t remember a particular incident that brought on the pain.

• Other common causes include poor muscle tone in the back, tension or spasm of the back muscles and problems with the joints that make up the back.

The symptoms for back pain are:

• Persistent aching or stiffness anywhere along your spine, from the base of the neck to the hips.

• Sharp, localized pain in the neck, upper back, or lower back — especially after lifting heavy objects or engaging in other strenuous activity.

• Chronic ache in the middle or lower back, especially after sitting or standing for extended periods.

Types of Back Pain

Acute pain

One common type of pain is acute pain, currently defined as pain lasting less than 3 to 6 months, or pain that is directly related to tissue damage. This is the kind of pain that is experienced from a paper cut or needle prick. Other examples of acute pain include:

• Touching a hot stove or iron. This pain will cause a fast, immediate, intense pain with an almost simultaneous withdrawal of the body part that is being burned. More of an aching pain might be experience a few seconds after the initial pain and withdrawal.

Chronic back pain

Typically persists longer than the expected healing time for the identified cause of the pain—such as low back surgery—or persists after the identified cause of the pain has been treated.

Osteoarthritis

This is a long-term degeneration of the joints, which makes them less able to withstand stress. It’s a wear-and-tear problem that affects most of us as we get older and which can give rise to pain in some cases.

Exercises to minimize problems with back pain

You can minimize problems with back pain with exercises that make the muscles in your back, stomach, hips and thighs strong and flexible. Some people keep in good physical condition by being active in recreational activities like running, walking, bike riding, and swimming. In addition to these conditioning activities, there are specific exercises that are directed toward strengthening and stretching your back, stomach, hip and thigh muscles.

Back Pain

Back pain in the lower back or low back pain Low back pain is not a specific disease. Rather, it is a symptom that may occur from a variety of different processes. Back pain is common and the largest single cause of sickness absence in the UK. Although it can be very painful, it is normally not serious. Low back pain means a pain, or ache, anywhere on your back, in between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the legs. Pain in the lower back is a symptom of stress or damage to your ligaments, muscles, tendons or discs. In some cases the back pain can spread to the buttocks and thighs. Simple low back pain means that the pain is not due to any underlying disease that can be found. In some cases the cause may be a sprain (an over-stretch) of a ligament or muscle. In other cases the cause may be a minor problem with a disc between two vertebrae, or a minor problem with a small ‘facet’ joint between two vertebrae.

Symptoms of Back Pain

Pain may come on suddenly or gradually. It may vary from mild to severe, and it can be constant or it may come and go. It is usually sharp and burning and is made worse by sneezing, coughing, or straining to pass stools. Some people describe it as a shooting pain. The pain usually affects only one leg.

Aches, spasm and stiffness-You may have painful muscle spasms in your back. (Muscle spasms are when your muscles tighten on their own). These are very common, as your back has a network of muscles and nerves that can easily be strained or torn.1 The pain may be a constant dull ache, or it may be sharp and burn when you move around. Your back may be tender when you touch it.

Pain can also be made worse by activities that cause you to forcefully contract the core muscles of your trunk such as a cough, sneeze, or a difficult bowel movement, or if you hold your breath during an activity.

Neuropathic pain is caused by damage to nerve tissue. It is often felt as a burning or stabbing pain. One example of neuropathic pain is a “pinched nerve.

Treatment

Heat Application

Applications of heat packs help ease much of the discomfort associated with muscle spasm causing low back pain. Patients can use heating pad, hot water bottles, or even a hot bath to help ease the muscle discomfort that often causes low back pain.

Medications

Your doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or in some cases, a muscle relaxant, to relieve mild to moderate back pain that doesn’t get better with over-the-counter pain relievers. Narcotics, such as codeine or hydrocodone, may be used for a short period of time with close supervision by your doctor.

Surgery

Few people ever need surgery for back pain. There are no effective surgical techniques for muscle- and soft-tissue-related back pain. Surgery is usually reserved for pain caused by a herniated disk. If you have unrelenting pain or progressive muscle weakness caused by nerve compression, you may benefit from surgery.

Breast cancer is a serious disorder that attacks women. It is a disease that women dread about. In medical terms, this disease can be defined as a formation of malignant or cancer cells in the breast tissues.

The disease has been termed as heterogeneous. This means that it is a different disease that appears and forms differently in different women of different age groups. Younger women are said to be more vulnerable to this disease.

This disease can be cured if detected early. This is the reason that young women are advised to carry out a self-examination for any kind of lungs inside their breast every three to six months. They should also go for a medical examination in every six months.

When failed to detect, this disease can result in to some real threatening stages. In certain severe and final stages of breast cancer, women are advised to go for a breast removal surgery or masectomy. This is really dreadful moment in a woman life.

Fortunately, this disease can be treated successfully if detected early. Hence, it is very important to learn about the symptoms of breast cancer and keep tabs on any of the warning signs that may hit our body anytime.

Here are some potential breast cancer symptoms to help you learn about this disease and detect it on time in a better and effective way.

- The warning sings

Usually, breast cancer does not carry any pain. However, a woman is still advised to visit her health care practitioner on a regular basis to know about the development of the disease in her body.

Common symptoms

a) Change in breast and nipple feel

You may suddenly experience tenderness of nipple or even a lump or thickening near the breast or underarm area without any specific reason.

b) Change in the appearance of breast or nipple

This means that there is a change in the shape or the size of the breast or a nipple. The nipple may appear scaly, read, swollen, turn slightly inward or contain ridges or pitting similar to the skin of an orange.

c) Nipple discharge

Sometimes, you may also experience nipple discharge. The discharge may be clear or bloody.

d) Pain

You may sometimes feel pain in the nipple.

e) Swelling

Women with breast cancer can even observe swelling or mass inside the arm pit.

f) Lump

A lump near the arm pit or breast is a clear indication of breast cancer.

g) Rash

You would find a rash on a nipple or the surrounding area.

All the above mentioned signs and symptoms are an indication that you may be suffering from breast cancer.

However, there are several other ways to detect breast cancer such as self examination. You can conduct a self examination at your home. Just inspect your breasts for any lumps or swelling, changes in contour of each breast, dimpling of skin or changes in the nipples.

Remember that early detection of this disease is the only way to cure it. You need to focus on the signs and symptoms of this disease in order to detect it. Watch out for the symptoms and be safe.

A number of conditions other than breast cancer can cause your breasts to change in size or feel. Breast tissue changes naturally during pregnancy and your menstrual cycle. Other possible causes of no cancerous (benign) breast changes include fibrocystic changes, cysts, fibro adenomas, infection or injury.

Change in the size, shape, or feel of the breast or nipple — for example, you may have redness, dimpling, or puckering that looks like the skin of an orange. Fluid coming from the nipple — may be bloody, clear-to-yellow, or green, and look like pus.

Breast self-exam should be part of your monthly health care routine, and you should visit your doctor if you experience breast changes. If you’re over 40 or at a high risk for the disease, you should also have an annual mammogram and physical exam by a doctor. The earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your chances of beating it.

Gene changes: Changes in certain genes increase the risk of breast cancer. These genes include BRCA1, BRCA2, and others. Tests can sometimes show the presence of specific gene changes in families with many women who have had breast cancer. Health care providers may suggest ways to try to reduce the risk of breast cancer, or to improve the detection of this disease in women who have these changes in their genes.

The most serious cancers are metastatic cancers. Metastasis means that the cancer has spread from the place where it started into other tissues distant from the original tumor site. The most common place for breast cancer to metastasize is into the lymph nodes under the arm or above the collarbone on the same side as the cancer. Other common sites of breast cancer metastasis are the brain, the bones, and the liver.

Sometimes there are no symptoms of breast cancer when it is in the early stages. If you notice a lump, or are experiencing anything unusual, you must report the symptoms to your doctor as soon as possible. Performing a monthly self breast exam is the one of the best ways to notice any changes in your breasts.

The doctor will examine the breasts using visual inspection and palpation. Visual inspection looks for changes in breast contour, new dimpling, nipple inversion, discharge, moles, puckering or persistent sores. Palpation is using the pads of the fingers to press down and feel the tissue around the breasts for any unusual lumps. Benign (non-cancerous) lumps may feel different from cancerous ones, but most times it is very difficult to determine whether a lump is cancerous without further testing.

Unusual pain in the breast or in the armpit: Know your cyclical pains, and note if breast pain occurs in tune with the monthly period, and in both breasts. While uncomfortable, if it is normal to you, it may not be worrisome. But if you have pain which occurs off-cycle or in only one breast or armpit, get it checked out. Keeping a good record of your cycles will help you understand hormonal changes in your breasts, and also helps your doctor and nurse determine what may be happening in your body.