MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Breast Cancer Awareness Month is not only a time for remembrance but a time to raise funds for research.
According to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. When breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the survival rate is 99%. The American Cancer Society says women 40 years and older should start their annual mammogram.
“There are many different things that can be associated with breast cancer, the most common one that we usually identify, as, you know, seeing a new mass,” Family Medicine Physician Dr. Ramiro Tovar III said. “But sometimes you can also have things like nipple discharge, that wasn’t expected before, it could be either a clear wide discharge or even loaded times retraction of the nipple.”
Other symptoms include breast pain and changes in skin texture or rashes. It is important to consult your doctor as soon as you see any of these signs.
And while breast cancer is more commonly diagnosed in women, men are also at risk.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one out of every 100 breast cancer diagnoses in the United States is found in a man. Some risk factors include family history, hormone therapy treatments, liver disease and obesity. Some of the symptoms can be similar to those women experience.
“They can be slightly different because the anatomy is somewhat different how our breast tissues develop, but most commonly, we’ll see that the two things would be like a new mass of the breast or some nipple discharge as well,” Tovar said.
Other symptoms include redness, flaky skin, and the pulling in of the nipple.
