finally with hands pressed firmly on hips & chest muscles contracted
in each position,turn slowly from side to side and look for:
change in size or shape of your brest;
dimpling of the skin;
change in nipples;
persistent pain or enderness
Feel for changes
Put a small pillow under your right shoulder. Place your right hand under your head. Use you left hand to examine you right breast. Use the flat part of your three fingers, not the finger tips to examine. make sure you so not miss any areas.
First feel the armpit. Then start on the outside edge of your breast and feel round the whole beast in smaller circles.
Finally feel behind the nipple itself.
Look for:
Lumps in the breast or armpit
Thickening areas in the breast
Skin colour changes
Look for bleeding or discharge from nipple
Squeeze the nipple gently to see if there is bleeding or any discharge
Younger women diagnosed with breast cancer often experience a more aggressive cancer and lower chances of survival.This fact alone is enough to make early detection and breast self exam crucial for younger women.
The chance of having breast cancer for a woman in her fifties is about 1 in 50
About 75% of breast cancers are found in women over age 50
The chance of having breast cancer for a woman in her nineties is about 1 in 9
Except for certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women of all ages. Although the most confirmed and noteworthy risk factors for developing breast cancer are gender and growing older
Breast cancer was hardly heard of before the 1960’s when doctors began giving women hormone therapy
80-85 percent of breast cancer cases happen in women with no family history of breast cancer
Men also get breast cancer, however, men account for less than one percent of all breast cancer cases - breast cancer statistics
Q. So, I found a lump in my breast. Should I call the doctor right away, or wait and see if it magically disappears?
A. The key word here is "found". You should examine your breasts regularly; yes, the monthly self-exam IS important; don't "forget" to do it. If you feel something in your breast-a lump, a thickening, swelling-that feels different than usual, call the doctor. Overall, there's a very good chance that whatever you're feeling isn't cancer, especially if you're pre-menopausal; but for your own emotional well being, it doesn't hurt to have it checked out.
Q. My breasts always feel lumpy. How do I differentiate what's "normal" from a lump that might be a tumor?
A. Every woman develops her own definition of normal breast tissue. Many of us have naturally lumpy breasts, ranging from tiny hard lumps, to large soft lumps, and everything in between. Learn to feel what's normal for YOU and normal doesn't necessarily mean "exactly the same every day."
It means over the course of your menstrual cycle, if you're pre-menopausal. You probably notice changes during your period, when your breasts may suddenly become full and a bit painful, or just "feel" different than they do during the rest of the month. That's normal. It's when your breasts don't follow their usual behavior that you should pay attention.
If you're post-menopausal, you're used to your breasts remaining fairly static week in and week out. So if a lump suddenly appears, it's worth having it checked out. Especially since the incidence of breast cancer increases as you age.
Bottom line: Identify and internalize what's normal for you (that's where the self exam comes in), so that if something abnormal happens, you'll notice it.
Q. Ok, I think I've found a lump in my breast that's different than what's normally there. How worried should I really be?
A. Worried enough to call the doctor; not worried enough to panic. In pre-menopausal women, only 1 in 12 "dominant lumps" (that is, lumps that stand out enough to be discovered) is malignant.
In post-menopausal women, whose breasts aren't constantly changing due to their period, the chance that a discovered lump is malignant rises to 50-50. But that risk is mitigated by the fact that post-menopausal women are much, much, MUCH less likely to discover a lump in their breast than women still menstruating, who are very much more likely to develop usually harmless cysts in their breasts.
Bottom line: If you discover a non-normal lump, be concerned. But understand that it doesn't automatically mean you have cancer.
Q. I'm really good about doing self-exams; I mean, I KNOW what my breasts feel like. And I've found a lump that shouldn't be there. When I saw the doctor, he said it feels like a cyst, and not to worry about it. But I'm still worried…
A. Get a second opinion. Or insist on further examination: a mammogram or ultrasound, for instance. I'm no doctor, but I've had way too many friends tell me they felt a lump, the doctor said not to worry, and months later it turned out to be cancer. This is a fine line: how much do you question your doctor? She knows what she's talking about, right? Yes, but YOU know your own body.
Q. If Mammograms slightly increase my risks of breast cancer, why does everyone say to get them?
A. The thought here is that the benefits outweigh the risks. This is a personal decision between you and your doctor. If you are high risk (check the high risk factors above), perhaps you should get regular mammograms. But understand that:
The jury is still out on whether mammograms find more cancer or cause more cancer
Mammograms often show something which is not cancer
Regular breast exams have been shown to also identify early breast cancers and there is no risk with a self exam (it's even more fun if you have your Significant Other do the breast exam!)
Mammograms are being sold like many other medical procedures.
Q. Why does having an abortion so greatly increase the chance of getting breast cancer?
A. When you first become pregnant (before you even know you are pregnant), your body does many things to prepare you to carry and take care of a baby. One thing done is to increase the tissue in the breasts. When the new tissue first grows in, it is, what the doctors call, 'undifferentiated' meaning that it's not really breast tissue yet.
During the pregnancy for several months, your body changes this new tissue to breast tissue to prepare you for nursing your baby. When you have an abortion, you become 'unpregnant' in five minutes (most early abortions like suction abortions).
This confuses your body and it doesn't get rid of the 'undifferentiated' tissue it has formed in your breasts. That tissue remains there and is a prime candidate (like any stray growth) for breast cancer.
Q. Does having a miscarriage (when the body naturally aborts a pregnancy) increase my chances of breast cancer?
A. No, women who have had miscarriages do not have a higher risk of breast cancer according to several studies observing thousands of women. This may be because since the body has naturally aborted the pregnancy, it takes care of the 'other details' like removing the undifferentiated tissue from the breasts.
Q. Why does prolonged dieting or semi starvation (under 1800 calories a day) increase my chances of any cancer?
A. Our bodies have an automatic system which kicks in when food is not available. This is basically an emergency system designed to merely keep the body alive for short amounts of time until food becomes available. When employed as nature intended it, as an emergency system during short periods of famine, it works well.
In today's society, however, where excessive 'thinness' is a fashion statement, many women abuse this automatic system to keep their bodies at a lower than healthy fat level (The fashion standard dictates 6-12 percent bodyfat - 23 percent bodyfat is healthy).
The way this bodily anti-starvation system works is that the body basically cannibalizes itself to provide itself with the food which is not available from eating. It cannibalizes first from the areas less needed for basic survival. This likely includes the higher thinking processes of the brain and might, in part, explain the high incidence of Alzheimer's in our society (dieters have been observed to have dulled mental functioning as compared to non-dieters).
When the body is undermined by starvation, the immune system is also challenged. And our immune system is our greatest protection against cancer.
Women athletes pressured to be thin are ofter, less well nourished than the average woman - this may explain in part the sudden deaths and cancer we sometimes see in young women athletes.
A. Breast Cancer is deadly because the breasts are a silly milimeter away from one of the largest lymph nodes in the body (literally inches). Cancer in the breast often spreads to the lymph nodes and from there, can easily and quickly metastasize (become systemic)
Q. Can I inherit breast cancer from someone in my family?
A. There's no simple answer to this question. Some abnormal genes are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. In families that have an abnormal gene, it can be passed down from a parent to a child.
Only 10% (1 in 10) of women with breast cancer have inherited an abnormal breast cancer gene. Breast cancer due to an inherited gene abnormality tends to happen at an early age (under 40), in multiple relatives and in one or both breasts (but usually not at the same time). The abnormal gene is also associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Here are a few other important facts to remember:
Just because your mother or another relative had breast cancer DOES NOT mean you will get breast cancer.
Most women who get breast cancer DO NOT have breast cancer in the family.
There are many risk factors for breast cancer and having it in the family is only one of them.
