Breast Cancer Diagnosis

 

There is a 12% chance that a woman will c ontract breast cancer at some point in her life time . A simple breast examination could be the key in finding any abnormalities at its early stage itself. Woman aged 20 and older should conduct a self examination at their interest especially if there is a family history.

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How to test

Visual inspection

 

Ensure that your breasts are their usual size, shape and colour, without any visible distortion and swelling. Check for bumps, redness , soreness , rash or inverted nipples. Check for discharge or puckering of the nipple ( The fluid could be watery, milky, yellow or red in colour ) . This has to be done in three positions. This has to be checked in three different positions. Stand infront of the mirror with

 

(1) your arms up behind your head

 

(2) With your arms down at your sides

 

(3) Bending slightly forward, with straight shoulders , your hands on your hips and your hands relaxed hanging infront of you.

 

Feel your breasts

 

Breast self-examination (BSE) is best performed lying down.

 

Lie down with a pillow or folded towel under the right shoulder and place the right arm behind the head. Check the entire breast and armpit area using the pads of the first three middle fingers on the left hand to feel for lumps, changes, or irregularities in the right breast, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter.

 

Apply 3 pressures-light, medium, and deep-in dime-sized circles to feel the entire thickness of the breast. Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal. The exam should then be repeated on the left breast, using the finger pads of the right hand . Gently squeeze the nipple for any discharge.

 

Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower.

 

 

 

A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are commonly used to screen for breast cancer. Like all x-rays, mammograms use doses of ionizing radiation to create images. Radiologists then analyze the image for any abnormal findings. It is normal to use longer wavelength X-rays (typically Mo-K) than those used for radiography of bones. Mammography, can help in identifying cysts, calcifications, and tumors within the breast. It is currently the most efficient screening method to detect early breast cancer. If an abnormality is detected on a screening mammogram, your doctor may recommend a diagnostic mammogram to further evaluate that abnormality. Women age 40 and older should have mammograms every 1 to 2 years. Women who are at higher than average risk of breast cancer should talk with their health care providers about whether to have mammograms before age 40 and how often to have them.

 

 

A breast ultrasound uses sound waves to make a picture of the tissues inside the breast. A breast ultrasound can show all areas of the breast, including the area closest to the chest wall, which is hard to study with a mammogram. Breast ultrasound does not use X-rays or other potentially harmful types of radiation.

 

A breast ultrasound is used to see whether a breast lump is filled with fluid (a cyst) or if it is a solid lump. An ultrasound does not replace the need for a mammogram, but it is often used to check abnormal results from a mammogram. Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of structures deep within the body. Your doctor may recommend an ultrasound to help determine whether a breast abnormality is likely to be a fluid-filled cyst rather than a breast tumor.

 

■Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Most often, an MRI is used to check breast lumps found during a physical examination, ultrasound, or mammography. MR imaging uses a powerful magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures. The images can then be examined on a computer monitor, printed or copied to CD. MRI does not use ionizing radiation (x-rays). In most cases, a dye (contrast material) may be used so that abnormalities can be seen more clearly from normal breast tissue. The contrast material makes it easier to find problems with increased or abnormal blood flow, such as with some types of cancer or areas of inflammation.

 

MRI is a safe and valuable test for looking at the breast, but it has a high rate of false-positive results, and it is more costly than other methods and is not available in all hospitals.

 

■Removing a sample of breast cells for testing (biopsy). A biopsy is done when a mammogram or ultrasound showed a possible sign of tumour or when one of your nipples has an abnormality such as crusting, sores , dimpling of skin or bleeding. A needle biopsy of the breast is a way to remove cells or a sample of tissue from a lump or tumor for testing. There are 2 types of needle biopsy: fine needle aspiration and core biopsy. For a core biopsy, a larger needle is used to remove a tubelike sample of tissue, about the size of a pencil lead, for the pathologist to examine. When a fine needle aspiration is done, a needle is inserted through your skin into the lump or area of concern to remove a sample of cells. The cells are placed on a slide and examined by the pathologist.