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Breast Pain: Should You Be Worried? by Ihor Magun, M.D., F.A.C.P. Although current awareness of the importance of breast evaluation is at an all time high, many women who experience breast pain fear the worst. Be cause an informed patient is a better patient, knowing something about possible reasons for breast pain may be helpful. For one thing, it may help alleviate some anxiety. The most common symptom presented to the physician for a breast problem is pain. Breast pain as well as lumps are quite common and do require evaluation. After all, your body is letting you know about a problem. The discomfort may be an occasional twinge; it may be a general soreness or stabbing sensation. It may be fleeting or constant. The pain may be unilateral or bilateral, radiating to other areas including the arm. There are three categories of breast pain: those associated with the menstrual cycle, those not associ ated with the menstrual cycle and pains in the chest that seem to be in the breast but are not. Pain associated with a menstrual cycle is ob viously more common in younger women. Bilateral pain is common during the premenstrual time frame. It usually presents itself as a sore feeling or heaviness. Pain not related to menstrual periods typically occurs in women over forty years of age and is usually unila teral, producing a sharp, burning sensation. These are commonly are caused by cysts or noncancerous le sions. Pain not related to the menstrual cycle can be caused by ill-fitting bras, injury, exogenous ingestion of estrogen, and weight gain. Women who contract shingles sometimes feel breast pain before the typical rash appears. The most important factor to remember about breast pain is that it can be one symptom of a relatively rare form of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Pain is the first sign of IBC. The cancer is associated with a discoloration and dimpling of the skin referred to as peau d'orange because of its resemblance to an orange. This is an aggressive form of cancer that does not nec essarily show up as a palpable lump. Statistically speaking, breast cancer is diag nosed within six months in 11% of women with lumps and 2% of women with unilateral pain. Pain is the sole symptom in only 9% of cancers. All breast pain ab normalities should be addressed with your physician for clinical evaluation, imaging (mammogram and/or sonogram) and even for biopsy, if deemed necessary. Referral to a specialist is often needed. Disconcerting facts show that 80% of women with breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer. It is important to seek professional advice early. If there is nothing wrong, you will sleep easier. If something turns out to be serious, it can be treated early and early detection is important for a good prognosis. Call for manuscripts The UNWLA is an organization that offers its members an opportunity to share and exchange ideas on a variety of subjects, ranging from domestic issues to financial issues to vacation planning. In recent issues of Our Life, we have published several articles that have hopefully provided our readers with some helpful tips on dealing with difficult or complex day to day life experiences. We are inviting UNWLA members to share with others similar "how to" arti cles. What may be simple or matter of fact to you may be difficult or unfamiliar to someone else, and your hints or tips will be much appreciated. Share your expertise! Please forward your articles to English language editor Tamara Stadnychenko c/o UNWLA headquarters. We ask that all contributors include a telephone number to allow us to acknowledge submissions and verify information as needed. НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 2004 17
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