Have your regular breast self-exams and other breast care must-dos

Early detection is one of the keys to survive breast cancer. Yet, many women need help remembering important things, such as doing a regular self-breast exam.

Yet, despite campaigns set by the health department and other NGOs related to women’s health, lack of awareness still remains the reason for poor compliance. Here are some frequently asked questions on breast care with answers courtesy of experts from the Manila Doctors Hospital.

When is the best time to perform a breast self-exam?
According to the American Cancer Society 2010, it is recommended once each month beginning at the age of twenty.

Breast Self-Exam (BSE) is done once a month so women may be more familiar with the usual appearance and feel of their breasts. Familiarity makes it easier to notice any changes in the breasts from one month to another. Some physicians suggest that women do their BSE every day for a month to make them more aware of how their breasts look and feel. Early discovery of a change from what is normal is the whole idea behind BSE.

The best time to do BSE is two to three days after the end of your period, when the breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen. A woman who no longer has periods may find it helpful to pick a particular day, such as the first day of the month, to remind her that it is time to do BSE.

How does one go about a BSE?
There is no rule of thumb when doing a breast self-exam. There are different techniques depending on what suits you best. Some opt to do it while facing a mirror, others while lying down, or while in the shower.

What’s the next step if you feel a lump in your breast?
If you discover anything unusual, such as a lump, a discharge from the nipple, or dimpling or puckering of the skin, you should see your doctor at once.

Many women have irregular or “lumpy” breast. The term “benign breast condition” refers to those changes in a woman’s breasts that are not cancerous. Many doctors believe that nearly all women have some benign breast changes after the age of thirty. But any of these changes is best consulted with your physician.

How does BSE affect us?
Breasts come in all shapes and sizes, just as women are. Our breast will change through time; hence, it is important for us to learn what is normal. For women, BSE is easy to do as the name implies.

Are there any other modalities?
Adult women should receive regular physician-performed clinical breast exams. It is recommended that women aged 40 years and above should undergo mammogram screening every one to two years. As soon as women reach the age of fifty, mammography should be performed every year.

There is no harm in being aware and getting involved in practicing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Develop a habit and engage your family, friends, and colleagues to do the same.

source: interaksyon.com

Radiation may up breast cancer risk in some women

LONDON (AP) — Mammograms aimed at finding breast cancer might actually raise the chances of developing it in young women whose genes put them at higher risk for the disease, a study by leading European cancer agencies suggests.

The added radiation from mammograms and other types of tests with chest radiation might be especially harmful to them and an MRI is probably a safer method of screening women under 30 who are at high risk because of gene mutations, the authors conclude.

The study can't prove a link between the radiation and breast cancer, but is one of the biggest ever to look at the issue. The research was published Thursday in the journal BMJ.

"This will raise questions and caution flags about how we treat women with (gene) mutations," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. He and the society had no role in the research.

Mammograms are most often used in women over 40, unless they are at high risk, like carrying a mutation of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Having such a mutation increases the risk of developing cancer five-fold. About one in 400 women has the gene abnormalities, which are more common in Eastern European Jewish populations. Unlike mammograms, an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging scan, does not involve radiation.

The breast cancer screening tests have been proven to save lives and are clearly beneficial for women aged 50 and over who have an average risk of breast cancer. Experts are divided about their value in women younger than 50.

Some studies have suggested women with the genetic mutations could be more sensitive to radiation because the genes are involved in fixing DNA problems. If those genes are damaged by radiation, they may not be able to repair DNA properly, raising the cancer risk.

In several European countries including Britain, the Netherlands and Spain, doctors already advise women with BRCA mutations to get MRIs instead of mammograms before age 30. In the U.S., there is no specific advice from a leading task force of government advisers, but the American Cancer Society recommends yearly mammograms and MRIs from age 30 for women with BRCA gene mutations.

In the BMJ study, European researchers followed nearly 2,000 women over 18 with one of the gene mutations in Britain, France and the Netherlands. Participants reported their previous chest X-rays and mammograms, including the age of their first screening and the number of procedures. About 850 women were later diagnosed with breast cancer. Roughly half of them had X-rays while one third had at least one mammogram, at an average age of 29.

The researchers did not have a breakdown of how many women were exposed to chest radiation before age 30 but estimated that for every 100 women aged 30 with a gene mutation, nine will develop breast cancer by age 40. They projected the number of cases would increase by five if all of them had one mammogram before age 30. But they cautioned their results should be interpreted with caution because most women didn't have a mammogram before 30.

Researchers found women with a history of chest radiation in their 20s had a 43 percent increased relative risk of breast cancer compared to women who had no chest radiation at that age. Any exposure before age 20 seemed to raise the risk by 62 percent. Radiation after age 30 did not seem to affect breast cancer risk.

"We believe countries who use mammograms in women under 30 should reconsider their guidelines," said Anouk Pijpe of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, one of the study authors. "It may be possible to reduce the risk of breast cancer in (high-risk) women by using MRIs, so we believe physicians and patients should consider that."

The study was paid for by European cancer groups.

Lichtenfeld said the study wouldn't immediately change advice from the American Cancer Society but said concerned women should talk to their doctor about their options. "It's not possible today to make a blanket statement about what women (with the gene mutations) should do, but physicians and patients need to weigh the risks and benefits carefully," he said.

He also warned that women who need scans involving radiation shouldn't avoid them because of breast cancer fears.

"No one should think that they should never get an X-ray because they have the BRCA1 or 2 gene mutations," he said. "Just be careful that the X-rays you get are really the ones that you need."

article source: philstar.com