Detecting and Diagnosing Breast Cancer

Detecting Breast Cancer

When it comes to risk factors that could raise a woman's risk of breast cancer, she should speak with her doctor. Women of any age who are more likely to have this illness should speak with their doctor about when to begin and how frequently to have breast cancer screenings.breast. breast cancer.screening has been shown to decrease the risk of dying from breast cancer.

Women can take an active part in the early detection of breast cancer by having regularly scheduled screening mammograms and clinical breast exams (breast exams performed by health professionals). Some women also perform breast self-exams.

A screening mammogram is the best tool available for finding breast cancer early, before breast cancer symptoms appear.A particular sort of x-ray is a mammography. Women who show no symptoms of breast cancer have screening mammography to look for breast alterations.

Breast lumps are frequently found by mammograms before they are felt. A mammography might also reveal minute calcium deposits in the breast. . Although most calcium deposits are benign, a cluster of very tiny specks of calcium (called microcalcifications) may be an early sign of cancer.

The screening mammography may need to be followed up with additional (diagnostic) mammograms if a suspicious-looking region of the breast is detected. The doctor might suggest the woman get a biopsy based on the findings..

Although mammograms are the best way to find breast abnormalities early, they do have some limitations. A mammogram may miss some cancers that are present (false negative) or may find things that turn out not to be cancer (false positive). And detecting a tumor early does not guarantee that a woman's life will be saved. Some fast-growing breast cancers may already have spread to other parts of the body before being detected.

Nevertheless, studies show that mammograms reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer. Most doctors recommend that women in their forties and older have mammograms regularly, every 1 to 2 years.

Some women breast self-exam their breasts once a month to look for any changes. It's crucial to keep in mind that every woman's breasts are unique and that changes can occur due to aging, the menstrual ref="../Handouts/Handouts_Pregnancy.aspx"> pregnancy, menopause, and menopause when performing a breast self-exam.or using other hormones or birth control tablets. The breasts' feeling a little lumpy and unequal is typical. Additionally, a woman's breasts frequently get swollen and sensitive before or during her period. Women in their forties and older should be aware that a monthly breast self-exam is not a substitute for regularly scheduled screening mammograms and clinical breast exams by a health professional.

Diagnosing Breast Cancer

A doctor conducts a thorough physical examination and queries about personal and family medical histories in order to help determine the origin of any sign or symptom. . In addition, the doctor may do one or more breast exams:

• Clinical breast exam. The doctor can tell a lot about a lump by carefully feeling it and the tissue around it. Benign lumps often feel different from cancerous ones. The doctor can examine the size and texture of the lump and determine whether the lump moves easily.
• Mammography .X-rays of the breast can give the doctor important information about a breast lump.
• Ultrasonography. Using high-frequency sound waves, ultrasonography can often show whether a lump is a fluid-filled cyst (not cancer) or a solid mass (which may or may not be cancer). This exam may be used along with mammography.

Based on these exams, the doctor may decide that no further tests are needed and no treatment is necessary. In such cases, the doctor may need to check the woman regularly to watch for any changes.