Breast Cancer Self Assessment- A Mini Guide

About 1 in every 8 US women are prone to Breast Cancer! If you aren’t shocked by reading the first line, just go ahead and read the next line. About 41,760 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2019 from breast cancer. For the woman in the US, breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer! Breast cancer can be cured, but only when it is identified at the right time, preferably by the starting stage. And this is where you require awareness about breast cancer. Majority of US women could be putting their health at risk by not checking their breasts, with many delaying seeking medical help for symptoms that could indicate breast cancer. The late they identify it, the more complicated it will be, for a successful treatment. As part of the Breast Cancer Awareness month, let us analyze some self-assessment procedures that can be done at home to check breast cancer.

Be Breast Aware! That’s the number one step in assessing breast. Nobody knows your body better than you. Everybody has their own way of touching and identifying abnormalities in their breast. There is no specific technique or training for that. Whenever you feel unusual changes in your breast, you should stop by and get it checked by your doctor. Be it a lump or a thickening around the breast area, you have to get checked as soon as possible!

Shape and looks matters! Sometimes there will be an unexplained change in the size or shape. This should be noticed. Unexplained swelling, shrinkage, or the appearance of dimples anywhere near the breast could be a result of breast cancer. This should be identified first. Recent asymmetry in breasts should be noticed.

Discharge detection is the third process in self-assessment. If there is any kind of discharge apart from the time of breastfeeding, this should also be noticed. With these primary steps, you can self assess your breast. And if you identify any of these, what is the next step? The next step is mammography where you can identify tumors. This can also be done once in a while to detect the presence of tumors even if you can’t feel it.

Breast cancer can be treated without complications if they are detected in an early stage. Being part of a community where there is 1 woman each in every 8 women, suffering from breast cancer, it is our responsibility to spread awareness among each and every one regarding breast cancer and its critical behavior. Spread awareness by arranging campaigns wearing personalized t-shirts with messages about breast cancer awareness. Customized Breast Cancer Awareness giveaways can also be arranged to spread awareness and to celebrate survivors of this disease in your community. Spread the cause by publishing pictures of patients with mastectomy scars.  Spread Awareness, Spread Pink!