Breast cancer screening is very important for all women. This is a way to detect early signs of breast cancer in women who do not experience breast cancer symptoms. It also helps you recognize the look and feel of your breasts so you can more easily detect changes. Before having a mammogram, you can also do a self-examination at home.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Understand Breast Examination
Step 1. Learn why you should
Some women like to do breast self-exams regularly. With regular checkups, you can detect changes you might not have noticed, thereby helping you detect cancer. However, a breast self-examination will never replace a mammogram, as a mammogram is a more accurate test.
- When you do the exam, you're looking for precancerous lesions or early signs of cancer before it spreads. At this stage, you can remove it before it grows and harms your health, thereby reducing the risk of dying from breast cancer. In addition to self-examination, there is a professional examination called a mammogram, a type of X-ray specifically used for the breast that can show lumps, calcifications, or other signs of cancer.
- There are no studies that prove that breast self-examination reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer. That's why many experts don't recommend it, so many women choose not to, but this check is very helpful.
Step 2. Know if you are at risk
There is a group of individuals who are more at risk of developing breast cancer. Some genetic events and reasons in your medical record can put you at greater risk, such as:
- Mutation in breast cancer gene named BRCA
- Have a history of breast cancer
- Family history of breast cancer, especially at a younger age
- Women exposed to radiation to the chest between the ages of 10 and 30.
Step 3. Start at the right time
Breast self-examination should start at age 20. You can examine your breasts once a month, so that you can record changes at any time. In addition to breast self-exams, annual mammograms should be started before age 45, although you can still start at age 40.
- You can continue your yearly mammogram starting at age 55, or it can be reduced to every two years.
- If you are at a higher risk of breast cancer, you can start a mammogram at age 40. Your doctor may ask you to have more frequent tests if you are at increased risk for breast cancer.
Step 4. Perform a clinical breast exam
In addition to a monthly breast self-examination, your doctor should perform a breast exam at least once a year during the annual physical and gynecological exam. Your doctor will first perform a visual inspection of your breasts and nipples. Then he or she will perform a physical exam similar to a self-examination, feeling all the breast tissue and the tissue under your arms.
Your doctor will look for wrinkles or changes in the skin around the breast skin, abnormal discharge from the nipple, or lumps, which could be signs of cancer
Step 5. Perform special tests
sometimes, self-examination is not enough. Especially if you are at high risk and have a family history of cancer, your doctor may recommend an MRI. MRI is a more sensitive test and shows more detailed scan results. However, MRI is also often misdiagnosed, resulting in unnecessary biopsies.
Part 2 of 2: Performing a Breast Self-Examination
Step 1. Perform monthly inspections
You will need to do a breast self-examination once a month. The best time to do this is about a week after your period ends. This is the time when your breasts are not too soft and thick. During menstruation, your breasts may thicken due to hormonal fluctuations.
- If your menses are irregular, do the checkup on the same day every month.
- If you don't want to do it every month, you can do it less often, depending on how comfortable you are.
Step 2. Perform a visual inspection
One way to spot problems with your breasts is to see changes in their appearance. Stand in front of the mirror without shirt and bra. Place your hands on your waist, pressing down on your waist to gather the muscles, so you can see the changes. Watch for redness or scaling of the skin and nipples, changes in size, contour, or shape, and indentations or wrinkles in these areas.
- Also check the bottom of your breasts. Do it from side to side, lifting your breasts so you can see the bottom and the sides.
- Also check your armpits, raise your arms with bent elbows. This is to prevent your armpit muscles from contracting, which distorts your perception of this area.
Step 3. Pay attention to the exact position
The best position to perform a breast self-examination is lying down. In this position, the breast tissue is evenly distributed across your chest, making it easier to examine. Lie down on the bed or sofa with your right hand raised above your head.
Some experts recommend performing the examination standing up, or standing up after lying down to ensure each tissue is thoroughly examined. This can be easily done after a shower. You can choose which one is best for you
Step 4. Starting the examination, with the left hand, feel the right breast
Start in the right armpit and press slowly but firmly. This helps you feel the first layer of tissue under your breast. Make a circle with your three middle fingers. Use the palm of your finger, not your fingertips. Move your fingers up and down the breast tissue, like making a pattern when mowing the grass, until the entire breast and armpit area is covered.
Step 5. Repeat louder
After you have examined the entire breast, examine it again in the same pattern, and press harder this time. This will reach further into the breast tissue and examine the underlying layers of tissue.
It's normal for you to feel your ribs while doing this
Step 6. Check your nipples
After you have finished examining your breasts, you will need to examine your nipples. Press gently but firmly, squeezing your nipple using your thumb and forefinger. Watch for lumps or if there is discharge.
Step 7. Switch to the other breast
After you have thoroughly examined your right breast and nipple, repeat from beginning to end on the left breast. Use your right hand to examine the left breast.
The same procedure can also be used while standing
Step 8. Call your doctor
If you feel a lump, feel what the texture is. Lumps to worry about are those that feel hard or gritty, have uneven edges, and feel like they're stuck to the chest. If you feel like this, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible to get checked out immediately.
If the lump is small and doesn't feel like this, you should still call your doctor to make sure there's no problem. No need to panic. Eight out of ten lumps are not cancer
Tips
- Breast self-examination alone is not enough to detect cancer correctly. Should be combined with regular mammograms, remember that mammograms can detect breast cancer before a lump can be seen or felt.
- Breast cancer also occurs in men, so men should also do self-examination. However, breast cancer is 100 times more common in women.
