It’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but with more and more families being affected by the disease, it’s imperative to know about the early warning signs of breast cancer and how you can prevent it.

People hear about breast cancer far too frequently but never really expect it to affect them.

The news that a patient has breast cancer typically shocks them, even if they are at a higher risk due to their genes and family history.

Unfortunately, you have little control over whether you’ll be diagnosed with breast cancer, but knowing the symptoms could help you avoid losing your life.

Early identification and awareness of breast cancer are hence so important.

It’s important to perform a self-breast inspection or schedule a mammogram this month because it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

These seven breast cancer warning signals should be looked for if you notice anything unusual in your breast.

Breast cancer can manifest itself through a range of symptoms in many different ways.

For instance, you might discover a suspicious-looking lump in your breast that protrudes from the surrounding tissue but is soft rather than hard, rounded rather than uneven in shape, or even uncomfortable.

Because they do not match the “hard, irregular-shaped, and painless” definition, these cases may also be signs of breast cancer and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Additional indicators of breast cancer that could be early warning signs include the following:

• Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or around the collarbone. Breast tissue covers the area under the arms and into the collarbone, and sometimes breast cancer can spread to the lymph nodes in these areas before the original breast tumor is even large enough to be felt.
  
• Swelling of all or part of the breast. Even if you feel no distinct mass or lump, if you notice that any part of your breast is experiencing swelling, then it may be breast cancer.
  
• Skin irritation or dimpling. This irritation and dimpling is sometimes referred to as looking like an orange peel would.
  
• Breast or nipple pain. Breast tumors might appear as a single lump, a patch of dispersed seeds-like tumors, or an amorphous structure with several tentacles spreading into the tissue, among other shapes. These growths all result in various degrees of pain or discomfort. It’s critical to record the location, timing, and frequency of the pain.
  
• Nipple retraction. You may feel like your breast skin is being pulled inward, and you may notice that your nipple is actually pulling inward too.  
  
• Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin. Breast cancer that is inflamed might cause breast pain or breast redness. It feels to your breasts like a fever. The skin and underlying tissue may feel hot, look red or even purple, or they may feel bloated and sore.
  
• Nipple discharge. The discharge can include anything other than breast milk, and usually occurs without the breast being squeezed, or only on one breast.

What To Do After Breast Cancer Signs Appear

Setting up a consultation with your doctor should be your next move if you experience any of the aforementioned breast cancer symptoms in yourself.

To be sure there are no visible or physical indicators of breast cancer, your doctor will examine your breasts and perform a visual and manual examination.

They’ll then probably request additional examinations, such as mammography, ultrasound, breast MRI, or biopsy.

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