I have been meaning to write a post on breast cancer for the breast cancer awareness month. But the inspiration to write this post now came from one of my patients I attended to in my OPD. She was just 40 years old, unmarried and came to me with a breast lump which was there for the past 3 years. She kept neglecting the lump thinking it would go away or shrink. The lump finally ruptured through her skin and started releasing foul smelling fluid and she was even asked to apply turmeric and milk over it by her neighbors and relatives which she immediately obliged to. By the time she came to me, the lump was huge, ulcerated and infected and had already spread. I had to diagnose her with stage III breast cancer and she is now scheduled for her chemo sessions which will be followed by surgery. If only she had come earlier, a breast conservation would have been possible.
SYMTOMS THAT SHOULD CAUSE WORRY:
- Swelling in the breast which is hard and is not or have stopped moving.
- Swelling in the armpit with or without swelling of the hand.
- Asymmetrical breast or nipple areola region.
- Nipple changes : pulled inwards or upwards or changes in shape or size.
- Skin over the breast : dimpling, color change, ulcers.
- Clear or bloody discharge from the nipple.
- Sudden pain in a long standing breast lump.
DO IT YOURSELF:
- Check on the same date of every month.
- Avoid examining during menstruation ( hormones make the breast lumpy and painful ).
- First look into the mirror with arms by the side and arms above the head to look for any obvious asymmetry in breast or nipple or visible swelling.
- Examine with the finger pads of your 3 to 4 fingers.
- Avoid pinching up the breast to look for a lump.
- Examine in clockwise direction, followed by breast to nipple.
- Slightly press the nipple to see for any discharge and wipe it out with a tissue or soft cloth.
HOW IS THE DIAGNOSIS MADE:
MYTHS REVOLVING AROUND BREAST CANCER:
- Men do not develop breast cancer (1-2 % men can have breast cancer).
- All breast swellings are cancer (Normal swellings of the breast is more common than breast cancer). Not all lumps are cancer. They can be easily diagnosed by clinical examination and by imaging.
- All breast cancer patients die early (breast cancer has excellent 10 year survival rate and has good prognosis if treated).
- Mammogram causes radiation exposure (MMG is safe and only has low dose exposure).
- Taking biopsy causes spread of cancer (biopsy is the most essential step in identifying the tumor type and giving appropriate treatment).
- All the breast lumps should be taken out (some breast lumps like fibroadenomas are notorious to come back after removal and they do not become cancers in the future).
- Applying native medications can help (applying these can irritate the skin and precipitate an infection).
Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer in India and globally as is the leading cause of cancer related deaths. Self breast examination plays a vital role in identifying the disease early and to treat effectively. In case of any changes identified during the examination, visit the nearest health facility. I hope this article helps in knowing the breast diseases better. I am also planning to post more about this in the future so that more people are benefitted. Do not stop with reading this post. Kindly follow the self breast examination techniques and also educate other women you know about it. You might be helping someone's cure from breast cancer.
#penbooksandscalpel
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