Facts About Breast Cancer, Breast Exams and Mammograms
Detecting breast cancer in the earliest and most curable
state could save the lives of many Illinois women.
There are three methods of early detection that all women
should practice: monthly breast self-exams, annual clinical breast examinations
by a health care professional and regular mammograms.
Breast Self-Exam (BSE)
All women 20 years of age and older should perform a BSE
each month, two to three days after your period or on the same date each month
if you no longer have periods. Monthly BSE helps you learn the way your breasts
normally look and feel and allows you to notice changes. The following changes
should be reported to your health care provider:
new lump in or near the breast or under the arm
thickening or swelling of part of the breast
irritation or dimpling of breast skin
redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast
pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area
nipple discharge other than breast milk that occurs without
squeezing
any change in the size or the shape of the breast
pain in any area of the breast
Keep in mind that some of these warning signs can happen
with other conditions that are not cancer.
Clinical Breast Exam (CBE)
A CBE should be a part of every yearly health exam for women
20 years of age and older. During the CBE, your doctor or nurse will carefully
feel your breasts and under your arms checking for lumps and other changes.
During the CBE, your health care provider can show you the correct way to
perform a breast self-exam, if you ask for help.
Mammography
To find out if you’re eligible for free mammograms, click
here .
Mammograms are the best available method to detect breast
cancer in its earliest,
most treatable stage. However, mammograms are not perfect
and can miss some cancers. A woman should not ignore something she feels
because her mammogram is normal. Changes can be especially difficult to spot in
dense, glandular breast of a younger woman. This is why women of all ages
should have a clinical breast exam (an exam done by a health care provider)
every year.
A screening mammogram is an X-ray examination of the breast
in a woman who has no breast complaints (asymptomatic). The goal of screening
mammography is to find cancer when it is still too small to be felt by breast
self-examination or your doctor. Finding small breast cancers early by a
screening mammogram greatly improves your chance for successful treatment.
Mammograms produce high quality X-rays, with a low dose of radiation. For a
mammogram, the breast is positioned between two smooth plastic plates to
flatten your breast tissue and allow a lower dose of X-ray. Although this may
be temporarily uncomfortable, it only lasts for a few seconds. The entire
procedure for a screening mammogram takes about 20 minutes.
When should women have a screening mammogram?
Most women should have their first mammogram at age 40 and
then have another mammogram every year. If you have any symptoms or changes in
your breast, or if breast cancer runs in your family, talk to your health care
professional. He or she may recommend that you have mammograms earlier or more
often than other women.
How can I get ready for my mammogram?
Make your mammogram appointment for one week after your
period. Your breasts hurt less after your period.
Bring a list of the places, dates of mammograms, biopsies,
present symptoms, or other breast treatment you have had before.
If you have had mammograms at another facility, you should
bring them so the doctor can compare the results with previous scans.
On the day of the examination, do not wear deodorant,
perfume or powder; this can interfere with the mammogram by appearing on the
X-ray film as calcium spots.
Wear a shirt with shorts, pants or a skirt. That way you can
undress from the waist up and leave your shorts, pants, or skirt o
