Breast Cancer: Do You Know The Signs?
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Breast Cancer: Do You Know The Signs?

Beyond screenings: Detecting breast cancer begins with you

While breast cancer account for 1 in 3 cancers in women in the United States, it can occur in people of all genders. In fact, the National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates 310,720 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2024.

While regular screenings are an important step in detecting cancer, being familiar with your breast tissue and knowing what's normal for you can help you identify any concerning changes between screenings.

Here’s what to look for:

Breast Lumps

The most common and well-known sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast tissue. While not all lumps are cancerous, it's important to have any new lumps evaluated by a healthcare professional. Cancerous lumps tend to be:

  • Painless

  • Hard

  • Have irregular edges

However, breast cancer lumps can also be soft, round, tender, or even painful.

Changes in Breast Appearance

Breast cancer can cause visible changes to the breast, including:

  • Swelling of all or part of the breast

  • Skin dimpling (often resembling an orange peel)

  • Changes in size or shape

  • Redness, dryness, flaking, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin

Nipple Changes

Pay attention to any changes in your nipples, such as:

  • Nipple retraction (turning inward)

  • Pain in the nipple area

  • Nipple discharge (other than breast milk)

Skin Changes

Breast cancer can affect the skin of the breast, causing:

  • Irritation or dimpling

  • Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast

  • Thickening or swelling of part of the breast

Pain

While most breast cancers are not painful in the early stages, some people may experience:

  • Breast pain

  • Tenderness in a specific area

Lymph Node Changes

Breast cancer can spread to nearby lymph nodes before it's detectable in the breast itself. Look out for:

  • Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or near the collarbone

Other Symptoms

In some cases, breast cancer may cause:

  • Changes in breast texture

  • A flat or indented area on the breast

  • Differences in temperature between breasts

If you notice any of the above symptoms, schedule an appointment with your doctor immediately.  

 

Knowing what to look for does not take the place of having regular screenings for breast cancer that can often identify breast cancer before symptoms like those noted above appear.

If you’re not sure if you’re due for an annual screening, contact your doctor today. Finding breast cancer early gives you a better chance of successful treatment.

Breast Health NURSE Navigator:  An ally in your time of need.

A diagnosis of breast cancer can turn your world upside down. There are suddenly new terms and new care paths to navigate all while coming to grips with your diagnosis. The nurse navigator will be a constant presence and coordinator of the social, emotional and educational needs of the patient and family members.  As a clinical navigator for breast health, the Nurse Navigator also provides valuable support and information to people concerned with the health of their breasts. 

SVMC’s Breast Health and Imaging Center is pleased to offer the care and support of a full-time Breast Health Navigator to all patients who desire her assistance.

Seline Skoug, RN, MS helps patients navigate the healthcare system to ensure patients have a smooth journey through diagnostic imaging, breast biopsies and if needed transition to the Cancer Center team by providing:

  • Guidance through screening and diagnostic exams

  • Education

  • Support

  • Works with a multi-disciplinary team for your care.

To learn more about how Seline can help you or a loved one, contact SVMC’s Breast Health and Imaging Center at 802.440.4240. 


Malcolm Paine, MD, FACOG is a member of the Obstetrics and Gynecology team at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vermont.

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OB/GYN Care in a New Age

I am a strong believer in preventive care. Our patients are healthiest and OB/GYN physicians are most successful when we see each other at least annually and as soon as concerns arise. While this hasn't always been possible throughout the pandemic, I am happy to report that it is slowly getting easier to provide and receive care in the ways we had been used to, with a few adjustments for added safety.

I am especially concerned about patients who may have delayed care. While some concerns can safely wait a short while, putting off care in other situations may worsen the condition or the outcome. I encourage both new and returning patients to call the office to discuss resuming regular care and discussing any concerns that may have come up.

Here's what you can expect, including some of the innovative ways we are meeting patients' needs safely.

When you call the office, the receptionists will schedule an appointment for you. An easy telehealth option is great for reviewing results, developing care plans, providing contraceptive and fertility counseling, and consulting about weight management. For these purposes, the receptionist will likely recommend a televisit. It is very easy to connect and so convenient; while we love seeing you in person, we have to wonder why we haven’t been using telehealth appointments all along! Complete information about telehealth visits can be found here.

As you might expect, OB/GYN care often requires a physical examination, so many of our patient visits—including those for patients needing annual exams, testing, and therapeutic appointments—are still happening in person and in the office. The receptionists are working to stagger visits to decrease the number of people in the office at any one time.

Those coming to the office in person will notice a check-in station at the entrance to the Medical Office Building. The attendant will ask you a few questions about any symptoms you have and lend you a cloth face covering to use, if you don't have one. Wearing the mask over both your mouth and nose for your entire visit is required. For your safety and theirs, you will notice that all staff are wearing masks, too, along with either goggles or a shield. Hopefully you can still tell that we are all smiling, even under our masks!

If an outpatient elective surgical procedure is a part of your care plan, your OB/GYN and other staff will walk you through the process. A few changes, including COVID-19 testing in advance and intensified monitoring after the procedure, increases patient safety.

For those expecting to deliver a baby at SVMC, we are focused on maintaining all of the wonderful things our patients have come to expect from their experiences on the Women's and Children’s unit. Caring medical staff and nurses, individualized attention, and compassionate support are all in abundant supply.

Like when coming to the office, growing families will notice the check-in at the hospital's main entrance and staff wearing protective equipment. Our visitor’s policy indicates only one support person. We recognize that this is so challenging, and we are working to provide all of the support we can to bring your birth experience safely in line with what you had hoped, right down to the cheering support squad provided by a family via video chat during a delivery I attended earlier this week.

In the case that a family has had any exposure to COVID-19, the Women's and Children’s Unit has its own negative-pressure room. Extensive infection-prevention policies—consistent across all of the medical professionals involved with care for growing families, including OB/GYNs, pediatricians, midwives, and nurses—keep moms, babies, families, and staff safe. In fact, SVMC recently got a perfect score on a rigorous survey specifically designed to judge our infection-prevention measures.

Our ongoing commitment—pandemic or no pandemic, no matter your OB/GYN need—is to work through your concerns and deliver safe, individualized, and effective care for you. We hope that new and returning patients will call on us to help them maintain or regain their health. We are open, ready, and safe to provide the care you need.

Kimberley Sampson, MD, is the medical director of OB/GYN at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

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