Beat Breast Cancer with Breast Self-Examination

Regular breast self-examination (BSE) encourages women to familiarize with the “look and feel” of their breasts. Performing a BSE  allows you to examine the breast tissue for any physical or visual changes.

 

Breast self-examinations can be valuable as part of overall breast cancer screening strategy. When done properly, BSE helps in early detection of breast cancer, as 40 % of women with breast cancer reported discovering lumps during BSE. While mammogram remains as the gold standard for diagnosis of breast cancer, BSE alerts women to seek medical help when there are any changes to the breast.

 

Despite the benefits of BSE, there are some uncertainties about the usefulness of regular BSE. Recent studies on BSE reported no meaningful impact on breast cancer survivor rate. Instead, it resulted in increased unnecessary biopsies and raised anxiety among women. Hence, the American Cancer Society stopped advocating BSE. However, organisations such as Breastcancer.org and local cancer organisations still believe that BSE is a valuable screening tool, especially when combined with other breast cancer screening tests, including physical examination by a doctor, mammography, and in some cases ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

 

Adult women above age 18 should perform breast self-examination once a month, preferably at the end of menstruation. For those without regular periods due to pregnancy, menopause or other reasons, choose a specific day each month for BSE.

 

How to Perform Breast Self-examination?

In front of a mirror

Steps to examine your breasts:

1. Look at your breasts in the mirror with shoulders straight and arms on hips.
2. After a good glance, raise your arms and visually check your breasts again.

 

When observing your breasts in front of a mirror, look for:

• Breasts of their usual size, shape and colour
• Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling
• Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
• Inverted nipple that is pushed inward instead of sticking out
• Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling
• Discharges from nipples that could appear watery, milky, yellowish or bloody

BSE in front of a mirror (Source: Breastcancer.org)

 

Lying down

Steps to examine your breasts:

1. While lying on a flat surface, use your right hand to feel your left breast (and vice versa).
2. Apply pressure on the breast in circular motion with the finger pads of your three middle fingers by keeping the fingers flat and together. Remember to cover the entire breast to feel for lumps.
3. Alternate pressure to feel all layers of breast tissues:
   • Light pressure for skin and tissue just beneath
   • Medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts
   • Firm pressure for deep tissue in the back

BSE with circular motion while lying down (Source: Breastcancer.org)

 

Be sure to cover the entire breast, from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage. There are several patterns to ensure total coverage for BSE:

• Move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows
• Beginning at the nipple, move in larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breasts
• Divide your breast into sections (wedges) by imagining a slice of pie over your breast. Start from the outer edge and move towards your nipples. Move to the next wedge after you are done examining that section.

Patterns for BSE (Source: BabyGizmo)

 

In the shower

Steps to examine your breast:

1. Lather fingers and breasts with soap for easy gliding.
2. Feel your breasts while standing or sitting with the same technique mentioned in the previous section (“lying down”).

BSE in the shower (Source: Breastcancer.org)

 

 

Once you find anything unusual, report it to your doctor immediately for further checkup. Finding something new does not mean it is cancerous, as the majority of the lumps (8 out of 10 lumps) are NOT cancerous. Learn more about types of lumps in breast here.

 

Conclusion

BSE is a simple exercise that is helpful in early detection of breast abnormalities, which could prompt further investigations to allow timely diagnosis of breast cancer or other conditions. If you or your love ones experiences any breast changes, consult a doctor.

 

Further reading: Know Your Lumps, Keep abreast of Breast Cancer

 

 

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Tags

• Breast Cancer
• breast cancer screening
• breast self examination
• bse
• mammogram