Stages of Breast Cancer — Early Detection
Can Save Your Life

Breast cancer can be a frightening diagnosis. Having an increased awareness, early symptom detection and treatment are the best known ways to fighting this deadly form of cancer. You can get free information on awareness from foundations, support groups, and society organizations. That's the reason for awareness month, where many survivors wear pink breast cancer bracelets, ribbons, and pins.

You simply have a greater chance of surviving this type of cancer with early detection according to statistics and research. The most common method of early detection is to perform self examinations on your breast followed by a mammogram each year. Because a self-exam is not a 100% method of screening for breast cancer, a mammogram increases the chances of finding irregularities within the surrounding breast tissue. This is especially true if you are at high risk of developing diseases due to other disease causing impairments and or a low immune system.

Learning how to perform a breast examination may seem awkward at first. Women tend to feel other tissue within the breast thinking that they are cancerous tumors when in fact they are not. As you become more familiar with the process of self exams, you will become more confident.

Things you will look for when performing an exam include irregular lumps, unusual tissue swelling, and tenderness when you are not on your menstrual cycle. There are a variety of tests that can be performed to detect breast cancer. Your doctor can best prescribe a plan that will work for you.

There are two main ways to screen. They are: Mammograms - which should be a part of your maintenance health plan, and medical diagnostic screening test. MRI's are the most common form of image resonance tests performed. Other screen methods may include a combination of bones scans and blood testing at the recommendation of your doctor.

Stages of Cancer of The Breast:

Stage 1: This stage is referred to as non-invasive due to the fact that the cancer has not spread or invaded nearby tissue or organs.

Stage 2: This is the point in which the cells begin to spread into other areas of the breast on the same side, and thus invasive. However, the lymph nodes underneath the arm are not affected.

Stage 3: This is the point in which the cells begin to spread into other areas of the breast on the same side, affecting the lymph nodes.

The remaining stage involves the invasive nature of cancerous cells spreading to surrounding breast tissue, where the cancer causes the lymph nodes to clusterize or lump together. At this stage, cancer can spread throughout the chest cavity and affect the skin of the breast.

What To Look for In Treatment:

Your doctor may recommend a variety of treatments based on the level or stage one may be at. Options for treating tumors located in the breast may include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and prescription drugs. See the American Cancer Society cancer site for more information on survival rates, the latest research, and links to national organizations.

A diet rich in antioxidants may prove to help in the recovery process for anyone going through treatment. It has been know for years that essential vitamins and minerals are an important ingredient in the fight against certain types of cancers.

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