Your Online Health Information Site

Advertisement

Breast Self Examination

Introduction

Breast self examination is a hot topic of discussion lately with some physicians arguing that the recommendation of the various Cancer Agencies to do regular breast examinations would not stand up in view of “evidence based medicine” methods and would lead to unnecessary further tests. Most textbooks though recommend to continue the practice of self breast examination (Ref. 3, p. 203) as about 40% of breast cancer detection is done by the woman herself.

It has to be understood that BSE is only part of a screening program that also includes mammography once per year (for women above 40 years of age) and physical breast examination by the treating physician (Ref. 3 and 14).

Here is a simple three-step method of breast self examination (BSE)

1. Once per month look at your breasts critically in front of a mirror and look for any asymmetry that you were not aware of before, surface changes, dimples, lumps under the skin etc.

2. Examine each breast separately as depicted in this link. You are now feeling for a lump inside the breast or for something stuck under your skin that is not so in the other breast.

3. Examine each armpit with the fingers of the opposite hand looking for a swollen gland under the armpit. If this were present, you would detect a hard lump in the depth of your armpit, which you would not find in the other arm pit.

If any of these three steps that are done on a monthly basis results in a positive or query finding have it re-examined by your physician. Do not put it off.

Every woman who follows this simple BSE method will likely be found to have early breast cancer, if this is indeed what is found. Many other times it likely will be a benign breast lump that needs to be investigated further to be sure that it is not a cancerous lump.

When breast cancer symptoms are present, the breast cancer is often already advanced beyond the first stage, but this would be in a woman who never did breast self examination. However, with BSE a woman can ensure that she is breast cancer free or detects it in the earliest asymptomatic stage where breast cancer treatment is highly successful.

 

References:

1. The Merck Manual, 7th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse  Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 235.

2. B. Sears: “Zone perfect meals in minutes”. Regan Books, Harper  Collins, 1997.

3. Ryan: Kistner’s Gynecology & Women’s Health, 7th ed.,1999 Mosby,  Inc.

4. The Merck Manual, 7th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse  Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 245.

5. AB Diekman et al. Am J Reprod Immunol 2000 Mar; 43(3): 134-143.

6. V Damianova et al. Akush Ginekol (Sofia) 1999; 38(2): 31-33.

7. Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery,16th ed.,2001, W. B.  Saunders Company

8. Cotran: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease, 6th ed., 1999 W. B.  Saunders Company

9. Rakel: Conn’s Current Therapy 2001, 53rd ed., W. B. Saunders Co.

10. Ruddy: Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology, 6th ed.,2001 W. B.  Saunders Company

11. EC Janowsky et al. N Engl J Med Mar-2000; 342(11): 781-790.

12. Wilson: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, 9th ed.,1998 W. B.  Saunders Company

13. KS Pena et al. Am Fam Physician 2001; 63(9): 1763-1770.

14. LM Apantaku Am Fam Physician Aug 2000; 62(3): 596-602.

15. Noble: Textbook of Primary Care Medicine, 3rd ed., 2001 Mosby,  Inc.

16. Goroll: Primary Care Medicine, 4th ed.,2000 Lippincott Williams &  Wilkins

17. St. Paul’s Hosp. Contin. Educ. Conf. Nov. 2001,Vancouver/BC

18. Gabbe: Obstetrics – Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 3rd ed.,  1996 Churchill Livingstone, Inc.

19. The Merck Manual, 7th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse  Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 251.

20. The Merck Manual, 7th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse  Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 250.

21. Ignaz P Semmelweiss: “Die Aetiologie, der Begriff und die  Prophylaxis des Kindbettfiebers” (“Etiology, the Understanding and  Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever”). Vienna (Austria), 1861.

22. Rosen: Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 4th  ed., 1998 Mosby-Year Book, Inc.

23. Mandell: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 5th ed.,  2000 Churchill Livingstone, Inc.

24. Horner NK et al. J Am Diet Assoc Nov-2000; 100(11): 1368-1380.

25. Ferri: Ferri’s Clinical Advisor: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment, 2004 ed., Copyright © 2004 Mosby, Inc.

26. Rakel: Conn’s Current Therapy 2004, 56th ed., Copyright © 2004 Elsevier

Last modified: November 12, 2014

Disclaimer
This outline is only a teaching aid to patients and should stimulate you to ask the right questions when seeing your doctor. However, the responsibility of treatment stays in the hands of your doctor and you.