|
Frequently asked questions about Breast Cancer:
When is the best time to do breast self exam?
Examine your breasts at the same time each month. The best time is usually a few days after your period,
when your breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen. If you no longer menstruate, pick a day that you can remember
easily, like the first of the month.
Mammogram schedule recommendation by the American Cancer Society:
The American Cancer Society recommends that most women should have a baseline mammogram between the ages
of 35 and 40 and then have annual mammography after the age of 40.
If a woman has a first-degree relative (that is, a mother or sister) that had breast cancer under the age
of 50, then she should begin yearly mammography 10 years prior to the age of diagnosis of her relative.
What
do you do if you find a lump?
Do not panic. Do examine the same spot in the opposite breast. Usually if the same area in the
opposite breast feels the same there is little need for worry. However, if they feel different, or if you feel a definite
lump, there may be valid reason for concern. Sometimes the lumpiness may be due to menstrual changes, however if you have
nipple discharge or skin changes such as dimpling or puckering, your physician may want to see you right away. Remember that
80 percent of all breast lumps are benign (non-cancerous). and it is important to contact your physician right away.
Lump changes with menstrual cycle
In almost all instances, lumps that appear prior to the menstrual
period and disappear or reduce in size substantially after the cycle are not worrisome. These types of changes are sometimes
referred to as fibrocystic change. They are, in fact, more common in the upper outer aspect of the breast but may occur
at any location. There is also a tendency for these changes to recur frequently during the pre-menopausal years.
What Are Fibrocystic Breasts?
Fibrocystic breast
condition or lumpy breast is a common, non-cancerous condition that affects
more than 50% of women at some point in their lives. The most common signs of fibrocystic breasts include lumpiness, tenderness,
cysts (packets of fluid), areas of thickening, fibrosis (scar-like connective tissue), and breast pain. Having fibrocystic breasts, in and of itself, is not a risk factor for breast cancer. However, fibrocystic breast condition
can sometimes make it more difficult to detect a hidden breast cancer with standard examination and imaging techniques.
Ultrasound Versus Mammography
Ultrasound has excellent contrast resolution.
This means, for example, that an area of fluid (cyst) and an area of normal breast tissue are easy to differentiate on an
ultrasound image. However, ultrasound does not have good spatial resolution like mammography, and therefore cannot provide as much detail as a mammogram image. Ultrasound is also unable to image microcalcifications,
tiny calcium deposits that are often the first indication of breast cancer. Mammography, on the other hand, is excellent at
imaging calcifications. Ultrasound may be able to detect macrocalcifications (larger calcium deposits) in some cases.
What Can Ultrasound Show?
Physicians use ultrasound to evaluate breast abnormalities that have been found
with screening or diagnostic mammography or during a clinical breast exam. Ultrasound may help detect some breast masses and
is the best way to determine whether a cyst is present without placing a needle into the area of concern to aspirate fluid.
Ultrasound is also useful in helping physicians guide a biopsy (tissue sampling) to determine whether a breast abnormality is cancerous. Physicians use ultrasound during
core and fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNA) to determine where to place the needle. Ultrasound may also be used to prove whether a
suspicious area is a lymph node. Lymph nodes have fatty centers which are often apparent on ultrasound images.
For women with multiple cysts, routine mammographic screening is recommended. Ultrasound is added to the work-up if the mammogram is changing (mass increasing
in size) to make sure that the mass is a cyst, or if the woman complains of a new mass (again to ensure that it is a cyst).
Ultrasound is the best way to see if something is a cyst or something solid. For a woman who has cysts, she should not assume
that if she feels a new mass, it is a cyst. She should either see a doctor who can examine her and/or aspirate the cyst or
have an ultrasound study to make sure that the mass is just a cyst.
Breast Cancer and Pain
Although most cancers are not painful or tender to the touch, this rule is not true in every instance.
Therefore, it's very important that all lumps be checked out thoroughly, whether they are painful or not. It's also important
to notify the mammography technician or radiologist that you do indeed have a lump, so that appropriate studies may be carried
out. This may include additional mammographic images as well as an ultrasound. For each of these studies, they may put a marker
on the skin, on top of the lump, to help them locate the tissue underneath that needs extra attention.
Using antiperspirants causes breast cancer.
No. There is no evidence that the active ingredient in antiperspirants, or reducing perspiration
from the underarm area, influences breast cancer risk. The supposed link between breast cancer and antiperspirants is based
on misinformation about anatomy and a misunderstanding of breast cancer.
Birth control pills cause breast cancer.
No. Modern day birth control pills contain a low dose of
the hormones estrogen and progesterone. They have not been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. The higher-dose
contraceptive pills used in the past were associated with a small increased risk, in only a few studies. Today's birth control
pills can provide some protection against ovarian cancer.
Comparing Different Breast Exams
|
