How to examine your breasts, warning signs and support.
STEP 1
- Stand in front of the mirror and look at your breasts
- Now lift your arms above your head, as though you’re trying to touch the ceiling with both hands and look at your breasts in this stretched position
- Check that there are no differences between the two sides and whether there are any nipple changes of visible lumps
STEP 2
- Now feel all breast regions using the flat surface of your hand, flexing your fingers into the breast
- Feel the region of the breast between the breast and the armpit, extending into the armpit
STEP 3
What do you look and feel for?
- A lump (varying in size from a marble to a tennis ball) may be seen in the mirror or it may be felt
- Puckering, tethering or dimpling of the skin of the breast
- Orange peel appearance of the skin
- Inversion or retraction of nipple
- Eczema of the nipple
- Enlargement of the nodes in the upper armpit or neck above the collar bone
- Enlargement of one breast (Normally one breast is slightly larger than the other, but if it is a recent change, it may be cancer)
- Enlargement of one arm
- Discharge from the nipple
- Skin ulcer
Note that every woman will experience a breast complaint at some stage of her life, yet 9 out of 10 breast problems are benign and are in no way related to cancer.
Risk factors for breast cancer:
- Family history of cancer
- Exposure to cancer-causing agents
- No children or late childbearing (first child after the age of 30)
- Long menstrual life. Early start to menstruation (menarche) or late stopping of menstruation (menopause)
- Obesity, high fat diets and excessive alcohol intake.
- Use of oestrogen-containing drugs such as birth control tablets and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
*Note that 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors.
Warning signs to look out for:
- Nipple discharge
- Retraction of the nipple
- The presence of a small, firm lump which is not necessarily painful
Where to find support:
- Netcare Breast Care Centre of Excellence: Tel: 086-023-3233 or email breasthealth@netcare.co.za
- Cancer Association of South Africa: Tel: 080-022-6622 or visit www.cansa.co.za
- Reach for Recovery: visit www.reach4recovery.org.za
- Bosom Buddies: Tel: 086-028-3343
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