As I’m sure you know from the deluge of pink on everything from Yoplait lids to the Chapel Hill Firefighters’ uniforms, October is breast cancer awareness month; but breast cancer doesn’t go away on November 1. It’s important to be aware of your body year-round so that you can detect any changes that could be signs of breast cancer. According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, there are more options for treating breast cancer in its early stages, meaning the survival rate of women who detect their breast cancer early are much higher. The best way to detect breast cancer for women under 40 is with a clinical breast exam, which the American Cancer Society suggests women ages 20-39 have at least once every three years. However, talk to your doctor if you have a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors, and he or she may suggest you also have regular mammograms, which normally are not recommended until after the age of 40. Between doctor visits, monthly breast self-exams are a great way to learn how your breasts normally look and feel and monitor any changes. Just follow these simple instructions from the American Cancer Society:
-
Lie down on your back and place your right arm behind your head. The exam is done while lying down, not standing up. This is because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.
- Use the finger pads of the 3 middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.
- Use 3 different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs. It is normal to feel a firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast, but you should tell your doctor if you feel anything else out of the ordinary. If you’re not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse. Use each pressure level to feel the breast tissue before moving on to the next spot.
- Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone (sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone (clavicle).
-
There is some evidence to suggest that the up-and-down pattern (sometimes called the vertical pattern) is the most effective pattern for covering the entire breast without missing any breast tissue.
- Repeat the exam on your left breast, putting your left arm behind your head and using the finger pads of your right hand to do the exam.
- While standing in front of a mirror with your hands pressing firmly down on your hips, look at your breasts for any changes of size, shape, contour, or dimpling, or redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin. (The pressing down on the hips position contracts the chest wall muscles and enhances any breast changes.)
- Examine each underarm while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it harder to examine.
When doing an exam these are signs you should be aware of:
- Lumps, hard knot or thickening inside the breast or underarm area
- Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the breast
- Change in the size or shape of the breast
- Dimpling or puckering of the skin
- Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
- Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast
- Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
- New pain in one spot that does not go away
If you experience any of these you should immediately schedule an appointment with your doctor. But don’t freak out! Some breast changes are natural, and according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 8 out of 10 lumps are not cancerous. But it doesn’t hurt to stay alert–it could save your life!
Photos:
Image 1: The American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org
Image 2: The American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org
Image 3: The Breast Cancer Foundation, www.bcf.org