Breast Cancer is sometimes misdiagnosed as Breast Cysts

It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Breast Cysts, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer while incredibly common is very curable if caught early on. However around 13% of breast cancer cases are diagnoses are missed by medical professionals. Cancerous breast masses can be mistaken for blocked milk ducts, or cysts. The main issue with misdiagnosis of breast cancer is that if not treated early on cancer of the breast tissue can easily travel to the lymph nodes and from there infiltrate other tissues and organs. Metastasised cancer is incredibly difficult to treat and almost guarantees death for the patient.

Always consult your doctor or health professional, and do not self diagnose.

Symptoms can include:

Lump in the breast or armpit, irritation or dimpling of breast skin, thickening or swelling of part of the breast, redness or flaky skin in nipple or breast, change in size or shape of breast, nipple retraction, pain in the nipple area, nipple discharge not milk, blood from nipple, pain in breast

Symptoms are a guideline only and may apply to either the diagnosis or the reported misdiagnosis, or both. Consult your specialist for further information.

Further reference:

www.cdc.gov

Click here to go to the A-Z list of diagnoses and misdiagnoses.