Breast Cancer Prevention

The exact causes of breast cancer are not know, but certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop the disease. Some of them cannot be avoided (age and heredity), but some of them can be avoided. Prevention involves taking steps to help reduce your risk of breast cancer.

More breast cancer prevention

Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast cancer awareness is about educating women on the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. When breast cancer is detected in the early stages - thru breast self-exams, clinical exams and mammograms - it improves a woman's chances of being cured.

Breast Cancer Screening

Screening for breast cancer - looking for evidence of the disease when there are no outward symptoms - can save your life. When breast cancer is detected at an early stage, there are more treatment options available and the chances are better for a long-term recovery.

The screening methods for breast cancer include:

• Breast self-exams
• Clinical breast exams
• Mammograms

The best approach is to rely on all three screening methods, as any method on it's own has the chance of missing the tumor. Women who have regular clinical breast exams and mammograms are more likely to find breast cancer early.

Generally, it is recommended to begin breast self-exams during your twenties and to have a clinical breast exam every three years during your twenties and thirties. Once you get to your forties, it's time to schedule annual clinical exams and start getting mammograms every one to two years.

Self-Exam

Today's advice to women centers on breast awareness - to become familiar with the usual look and feel of your breasts and the underlying tissue. As breasts often feel lumpy, be aware that not all lumps are cancerous.

Performing regular breast self-exams will help you become more aware of the normal feel of your breasts so that you notice if anything out of the ordinary shows up. Pay attention to any changes you notice, such as development of a lump, a change in the size or shape, any irregular dimpling, redness or warmth of the skin, or any bleeding or crusting from the nipples.

The best time for a women to do her own breast exam is about one week after her period starts. If you notice a lump that is not familiar and have not yet gone thru menopause, wait one more menstrual cycle and see if the lump is still there. If it is, make an appointment with your doctor for a clinical exam.

Clinical Exam

Clinical breast exams are an important aspect of breast cancer screening. During the exam, your health care provider will check your breasts, underarm and collarbone area for any evidence of breast cancer. They will look for differences in size or shape between your breasts, check the skin for a rash or dimpling, feel for any hard, oddly shaped lumps, and check the lymph nodes near the breast for swelling.

Breast screening guidelines recommend that women get clinical exams on a regular basis - every three years during the twenties and thirties and then annually once the forties are reached.

Mammogram

A mammogram is a special low-dose x-ray of the breast tissue used to screen for breast cancer. Mammograms can often show a breast lump before it can be felt or cause other symptoms. They can also detect calcifications, lesions, masses and other signs of early breast cancer. If any abnormal cells are detected, further tests will be ordered that show clearer, more detailed images of the area.

• Screening mammogram - used to detect breast cancer early
• Diagnostic mammogram - clearer, more detailed films that are used to learn more about abnormal areas detected in a screening mammogram

Breast screening guidelines recommend that women begin screening mammograms at age 40, before they have any symptoms, and then get an updated mammogram every 1 to 2 years.

Recently, there has been debate about the appropriate use of screening mammograms. Although not a perfect test, they remain the most effective method of detecting breast cancer at the earliest stages when treatment is more likely to be effective.

Other Imaging Tests

If abnormal areas are detected during a clinical exam or screening mammogram, other imaging tests may be prescribed to provide greater detail and clarity.

• Ultrasound - uses sound waves to show whether the lump is solid (may be cancer) or filled with fluid (cysts, usually not cancer)
• MRI - uses a powerful magnet linked to a computer to show whether the tissue is diseased of normal

Biopsy

A biopsy involves removing fluid or tissue from the abnormal area to look for cancer cells. To determine whether or not cancer is present, a pathologist will test the removed fluid or tissue and if found, determine the kind of cancer. A biopsy is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer.