Breast cancer affects 1 out of every 8 women in the USA. To successfully treat cancer, early detection is very important. It is highly necessary for women to know the signs of invasive breast cancer from its inception and seek medical help early instead of battling the latter stages of the disease.

These are the five warning signs and symptoms of breast cancer that every woman should know:

1. New moles or change in an existing mole
Moles can be seen as an early indicator of breast cancer. Women with moles had a 13% risk of developing breast cancer than women with no moles on them.

2. Hoarse throat and persistent cough

If cancer from the breasts spreads to the lungs, it can lead to persistent coughing and hoarseness of the throat. According to statistics, about 60-70% of cancer patients, breast cancer metastasizes to the lungs, causing a dry cough and shortness of breath.

3. Irregular bowel or bladder movement
Breast cancer patients may experience a change in their hormones, leading to drying of the urethra and causes incontinence. This can cause leaking of urine when laughing, coughing, exercising and even sneezing. Also, these patients may have an urgent need to urinate and the urination takes longer than usual.

4. Tiredness and fatigue that cannot be explained
Most cancers include tiredness and fatigue. Cancer patients may feel tired even after a good night’s sleep. Also, they may experience depression and pain too.

The fatigue is not triggered by physical exhaustion but by a chemical imbalance in the body which is caused by cancer.

5. Unexplained pain in the back
8 out of 10 people can have back pain. Also, it has been discovered that breast cancer can be responsible for the irritating pain in the back.

The breast cancer patient feels pressure on the spine and ribs, including pain in the upper back. It may appear as if the pain is from the bones, which may also mean the breast cancer may have spread to the person’s bones.