Early Breast Cancer Detection - Act Before It Is Too Late

Early breast cancer detection is very important so women should never take breast examination for granted. According to the American Cancer Society, early breast cancer detection can greatly improve the chances of survival of the patient. If you are one of those women who have a history of breast cancer in the family, you should have regular self examinations and clinical examinations while you are still in your 20s and 30s.

Breast Self Examination (BSE)

BSE is one of the most common ways of monitoring significant changes in the breast tissues. To monitor changes in your breasts, stand in front of the mirror and check each breast for dimpling or discolorations 3 to 5 days after the last day of your menstrual period. Note any suspicious looking dimples and discolorations which were not there when you last examined yourself.

After doing an ocular inspection of your breasts, you should conduct a physical examination. To get more accurate results, you should perform the self exam while lying down with your arm placed at the back of your head. This position allows the breast tissues to flatten and spread evenly over the chest bones. To detect lumps, methodically run the finger pads of three middle fingers of your hand over your breast. Apply different levels of pressure as you move your fingers in slow circular motions from the top of your breast down. Use light pressure to feel lumps close to the skin surface and medium to firm pressure to feel for lumps deep under the tissues.

If you feel any lumps or mass in your breasts while doing the self exam, do not panic. Just because you have lumps that does not mean that you have cancer. Remember that not all lumps are cancerous so you should never jump to any conclusions. To know if the lumps are cancerous or not, you should go to your doctor and ask for a clinical exam immediately. Remember that early breast cancer detection can save your life so see your doctor for some tests.

Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) and Mammogram

If you are in your 30s and 40s, you should have regular CBEs from health professionals. During the CBE, your doctor will examine your breasts for any signs of abnormalities by feeling the skin and tissues around this area. As you reach your 40s, you will need to undergo regular screening mammograms. If your doctor notices some abnormalities during the examinations, he or she may ask you to go through further testing to determine the nature of the abnormality. He or she may recommend biopsy of suspicious lumps in your breast.

By: Sandy Rutherforde

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For more information on breast cancer detection please visit our website Treatments For Breast Cancer.