Throughout the world millions of women have been affected by breast cancer. When it comes to detection of the symptoms of this disease, most women are not very well informed about what they actually are and what they can be. It's important to distinguish between facts and myths when it comes to this illness in order to avoid unnecessary panic or fear, and of course so that early detection is possible. Keeping yourself informed is very important.

Throughout the world millions of women have been affected by breast cancer. When it comes to detection of the symptoms of this disease, most women are not very well informed about what they actually are and what they can be. It's important to distinguish between facts and myths when it comes to this illness in order to avoid unnecessary panic or fear, and of course so that early detection is possible. Keeping yourself informed is very important.

There are a few common misconceptions about this disease which should be dealt with. For instance, lumps on the breast are not always a sign of breast cancer, sometimes cancer forms without this symptom. What should also be monitored is change in the breast size, any painful spots on the breast, redness, swelling, itching, cracked or hardened skin and discharge from the nipple. And of course having a lump is not a definite sign of cancer, there are numerous other benign causes for lumps on the breast. Biopsy is necessary for precise diagnosis.

Some are convinced that cancer only affects the elderly, this is not true. The probability of developing breast cancer increases with age, so younger women just have lower chances for having this illness. It's advised for younger women to have checkups every few years and with age the frequency of checkups should increase for earlier detection of the disease.

Women with small breasts can't have cancer is another popular error in judgment. The size of the breast is not important and there is no difference in risk when larger or smaller breasts are compared. The only thing that increases the chance is increased weight, obesity increases the chances for developing breast cancer.

Heredity of breast cancer is also not a certain trait of this disease. In fact around seventy percent of all women who are affected with this condition don't have any relatives who were suffering from breast cancer. And vice versa, if there is somebody in the family who suffers from breast cancer, that doesn't mean that other members of the family will be affected.

There is also a lot of other small beliefs about breast cancer, for example that a certain type of bra can prevent breast cancer, that deodorants are responsible for developments of this condition, but all of these theories have been disproved. It's important to be familiar with your breasts in order to notice the change on them if and when it occurs.

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