Importance of Breast Cancer Self-Examination

Breast cancer has become one of the most common types of cancer affecting women all over the world. Regardless of age and health condition, women can develop breast cancer at any given point of time. For women belonging to different age groups, it is very important to start implementing the breast cancer self examination rules that will ensure early diagnosis and detection of the condition so that corrective measures can be taken. Breast cancer, if detected early, can be treated and reversed. With guidance from cancer center and basic knowledge of the self examination tools, any woman can easily perform the examination at home in a series of steps.

The process of examination involves looking for some unusual skin changes, lumps, or bloody discharge. Usually most women should perform a check once in a month so that it is easy to remember. The best time for self-examination is right before a week after your period has started. Therefore, every woman should take time and do this routine self examination.

There are mainly 2 ways of checking your breasts during self examination. The first step is to LOOK at your breasts in the mirror. You should check your breasts for dents, pulls, lumps, or odd coloring. The ideal position for inspecting the breasts is to lean forward with your arms placed on the hips tightly as well as standing on the feet upright with both the arms over the head. While you are checking your breasts, remember that both the breasts should look same, particularly around the nipples.

The second important point is the FEEL. There are 2 ways of feeling the breast. In order to perform this examination it is best to use different ways each month. The first method is to use oil or water on the skin to allow the fingers glide over your skin easily. You can do this examination in the shower. The second method is to use a fine bed sheet or t-shirt over your breasts to examine.
Breasts should be checked in various positions, such as standing up, lying down, and leaning forward. Using the palm surface of fingers, not tips, move the breast.

While one part of the breast should be examined from outside breast to nipple, the other should be done from inside to outer edge – nipple to breast. Remember, the tail of your breast enters the armpit, which is also one of the important areas to be examined carefully.
The nipple is one of the most important areas to be examined and evaluated. Cancer centers located in different parts of the world suggest that the nipples should be carefully checked. As there are lesser breast tissues under the nipples, any lumpy feeling there could be alarming. The importance of any type of discharge from the nipples is highly debatable today since usual and hard squeezing of nipple can even cause some amount of discharge. Gentle examination is good enough to suggest if there is any type of discharge. If the discharge has traces of blood, it should be evaluated immediately.

In both these ways, any little skin bump or lump should be addressed immediately. Feel the entire breast tissue to find anything that is different from the other parts of the breast. Sometimes it may appear to be a lump or ball, usually hard, that doesn’t move like other parts of the breast.