Can breast cancer lumps show up in the armpit?
Question:
homework
Answers:
yes they can in the lymph nodes
they shouldn't... and where in the armpit?
they ARE visible, but should normally show up on the actual breast itself...
yes they can
and no they aren't always visible. sometimes they can even look like a dimple.
If you feel a lump in your armpit while checking for lumps in the breast, the cancer or benign cancer could have gone into the lymph nodes in the armpit. My grandmother had breast cancer and had one breast removed as well as her lymph nodes in her armpit.
Lumps and not visible (except on a mammogram)- that is why women and some men are recommended to do self breast exams to push and poke to see if they feel irregularities in the breast tissues.
for more information, check out http://www.breastcancer.org/
Yes--They certainly can show up under the armpit and may be invisible.
Yes -- and not just lymph nodes. There is a "tail" of actual breast tissue that extends diagonally from the breast into the axilla (fancy name for armpit area). See the picture in this source link:
http://images.amazon.com/images/p/b0009v...
Lumps can be visible (rare) or invisible (but feelable). Sometimes the visible signs of a lump are actually retractions or puckering of the skin.
Breast cancer cells can be found in the lymph nodes (which are generally in the armpit). These are not visible and many times are not even palpable (able to be felt). When a patient has breast cancer, the surgeon takes small biopsies of the lymph glands to determine if the breast cancer has spread to the lymph glands. The doctors need to know this before recommendation can be made with regard to the treatment of the breast cancer -- e.g. radiation and/or chemotherapy following surgical removal of the tumor.
Breast cancer can cause lymph nodes under the arm to swell. If you have a lump big enough to feel, get it checked ASAP. Don't mess around. Best wishes.
edit
I just saw the homework note. I hope that means you're OK. Lymphoma can also cause lymph nodes under the arm to swell. Here's the best info on that:
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls...
If they are in serious condition or later stage, yes they will show up in the armpit. Lumps are sometimes visible and sometimes not, if the cancer is in later stage the lumps will be visible everywhere.
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