Any cancer occurs when changes called mutations take place in genes that manipulate cell growth. Such mutations let the cells divide and multiply uncontrollably.
Breast cancer is cancer that develops in breast cells. And the cancer forms in either the lobules or the ducts of the breast.
The uncontrollable growth of cancer cells often invades other healthy breast tissue and can travel to the lymph nodes under the arms. Once cancer enters the lymph nodes, it can access a pathway to move to other body parts.
Signs and Symptoms
In its early stages, there might be no breast cancer symptoms. In many cases, a tumor may be too small to be felt, but an abnormality can still be seen on a mammogram.
There are some common signs, and symptoms of breast cancer are:
- A breast lump or tissue thickening that feels different from surrounding tissue and is new
- Breast pain
- Red or discolored, pitted skin on the breast
- Swelling in all or part of your breast
- A nipple discharge other than breast milk
- Bloody discharge from your nipple
- Peeling, scaling, or flaking of skin on your nipple or breast
- A sudden, unexplained change in the shape or size of your breast
- Inverted nipple
- Changes to the appearance of the skin on your breasts
- Alump or swelling under your arm
- Invasive ductal carcinoma
- Invasive lobular carcinoma
- Inflammatory breast cancer
- Paget’s disease of the breast
- Angiosarcoma of the breast
- Phyllodes tumors
- Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
- Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
- Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer
- HER2-positive breast cancer
- Triple-negative breast cancer (HER2-negative).
- breast-conserving surgery
- mastectomy
