Four Steps Promote Early Detection
Detection Is Key To Cure
There are four steps women must take to help get breast cancer identified while it is still curable, according to NewsChannel 2's Dr. Todd Husty:
- Monthly breast self-exams (BSE): Women should start doing a self examination after age 20. By doing the exam regularly, a woman can get to know how her breasts normally feel and she can more readily detect any signs or symptoms. Some of those symptoms include: a lump or swelling, skin irritation or dimpling, nipple pain or retraction (turning inward), redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin, or a discharge other than breast milk. If any of these occur the woman should have a doctor do an exam, however most of the time these changes in the breast ar not cancer. For instructions on doing a breast self examination, visit the American Cancer Society's Web site by clicking here.
- Physician breast exams: Women should discuss any new lump with their health care professionals. Experienced health care professionals can examine the breast and determine whether the changes the woman has noticed is benign or whether there is a possibility the changes may be due to a breast cancer. The health professional can determine when additional tests are appropriate to rule out a cancer and when follow-up exams are the best strategy. If there is any suspicion of cancer, a biopsy will be done.
- Mammograms: A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. Diagnostic mammography is used to diagnose breast disease in women who have symptoms such as the changes listed above. Screening mammography is used to look for breast disease in women who are asymptomatic, that is, they appear to have no breast problems. Beginning at age 40, women should have a mammogram every year. Women with a family history of breast cancer should discuss the best age to start getting mammograms with their physician.
- Ultrasounds: Although the mammogram is valuable tool in detecting lumps in the early stages, the test is not foolproof. Husty recommends that if the patient and her doctor have felt a lump and they get a negative result on the mammogram, the patient should insist on getting an ultrasound.
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