What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
How do you do the much-recommended breast self-examination?
Standing in front of the mirror, raise your arms slowly and check that your breasts:
– They are the same size
They have a circular boundary
– They do not have any retracted part
– His skin is smooth, without roughness or hardness
– The nipples are not retracted nor do they remove abnormal liquids.
Palpation
To palpate, imagine that your breast is divided into four parts. palpation it should be slow, pressing on the plane that forms the chest wall.
With the hand opposite to the breast that you are going to palpate and with your fingers outstretched, compress the breast against the ribs, from the nipple toward the center of the chest.
In the same posture, the hand moves to palpate against the ribs the lower inner quadrant, pressing with the fingers from the nipple to the center of the chest
Then another of the quadrants is explored from the outside and moving the hand towards the nipple.
Then press from the outside towards the nipple until exploring the entire quadrant.
You must pay special attention to the armpit hollow.
If you discover any abnormality, don’t panic. In 95% of cases it will not be a tumor. But keep in mind that only the doctor is able to distinguish what it is. Do not waste time .
Must considerFor example:
– Tissue that is hard to the touch or lumps that are fixed, as if attached to the inside of the chest.
– Deformed or tucked in nipples, as if pinned inside
– Any reddened or lumpy part
– Any abnormal discharge from the nipples or if their surface changes consistency
– If you notice swollen glands in the armpits.
Remember that most inflammatory diseases manifest with pain. The tumors, in general, do not hurt. The pain, if it appears, is late.
Is self-examination useful?
The problem is that many women perform self-examination as proof of guarantee. And, although it is useful as an alert, it should be known that when a tumor is detected with palpation it is a tumor of considerable size. However, experts point out that it is always convenient, since it allows establishing contact with the gynecologist. We must insist that a lump in the breast can really be a tumor, but that in 95% of cases it will not be.
When I notice a lump, will it be too big?
It is very possible. But it’s the only way to stay up to date. And it is useful because at the slightest problem it will get contact your gynecologist and that is always an advantage.
The reality, however, is that this self-exploration is highly questionable. It has the advantage that it serves to establish the bridge between the gynecologist and the patient and that is always positive. The problem that researchers now find is that this self-exploration really does not improve cancer statistics and, furthermore, it forces biopsies that are benign, with the stress that waiting for results entails for the patient.
In macro-studies carried out in China and Russia, it was concluded that unnecessary biopsies were duplicated and that, furthermore, when comparing results, they were similar between those who underwent self-examination and those who did not.
In fact, this test is no longer recommended in the new medical oncology guidelines. In any case, and although palpation as such may be in question, what nobody can dispute is the convenience for the woman to monitor her breasts and go to the doctor if she finds the slightest suspicion to carry out a more in-depth analysis .
How do you know if a lump is malignant or unimportant?
That is the job of the doctor. The important thing is vigilance to know as soon as possible if that lump appears. If so, the doctor will order the performance of a mammogram to ‘see’ the inside of the breast and check if that little lump can indeed be dangerous.
It must be taken into account that depending on age, the density of the gland will make vision difficult. For this reason, the doctor may order the sonography or, if there are other risk factors, the magnetic resonance. Mammography is the ideal test not only to know the diagnosis at that moment, but also as a reference for future images and to be able to compare them.
Is there any area of the breast where the appearance of cancer is more frequent?
If we divide the breast into quadrants, the area that is most frequently affected is the upper quadrant closest to the armpit.
