Breast Cancer: Early Detection Updates

We’ve all been touched by breast cancer. Maybe we have a friend or family member who is one of the 2 million survivors. Maybe we are. My mother-in-law Marguerite is a 36-year survivor, and proud of it. I’m proud of her.

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer type in American women. But men get it too. Each year, more than 211,000 women and 1,700 men are told they have breast cancer.

Being diagnosed with any cancer is a scary thought, but if breast cancer is spotted early, odds are you’ll survive. Following early detection, the 5-year survival rate is 96 percent.

So, what’s a Senior to do?

Do mammograms yearly and breast self-exams monthly.

The Yearly Mammogram
Mammograms are the gold standard of breast cancer screening. They often catch “lumps” or calcium specks (microcalcifications) before anyone can feel them. That’s why the National Cancer Institute recommends that women over age 40 have annual mammograms with clinical breast exams.

Nowadays, you can get a film mammogram or a digital mammogram. Film mammograms take x-rays of your breast, and digital mammograms are electronic breast images that can be downloaded to a computer.

Both are safe for most Seniors, but digital mammograms are better detection tools for Seniors with dense breast tissue.

A very low-dose of radiation is used for film mammograms; so, make sure the provider shields your body parts that don’t need to be x-rayed.

Be mammogram savvy
Follow any pre-appointment instructions your doctor provides you.

Wear a shirt and a bottom so you can keep your pants or skirt on when getting your mammogram

Pass on the deodorant, powder, perfume and lotion. If these items are on or around your underarms or breasts, they can create shadows on your mammogram

If your screening mammogram shows suspicious lumps or specks, your doctor will likely suggest a second, more involved mammogram, a magnetic resonance image (MRI), or an ultrasound. These diagnostic imaging tools allow a doctor to hone in on abnormal-looking sites and provide a higher-resolution picture.

Remember — false positives are not an uncommon occurrence with screening mammograms. That means: “lump” does not always equal cancer.

What if your doctor is still concerned after reviewing the diagnostic images? Well, a biopsy is the next step. It’s the only way to identify cancer cells.

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, get a second opinion before surgery. Many insurance companies cover second opinions when requested.

The Breast Self-exam
If you already do regular breast self-exams, good for you! But, make sure you read on — the American Cancer Society updated their breast self-exam guidelines in 2007.

If you don’t do breast self-exams already, it’s not too late to start. At first, you may be at a slight disadvantage because routine exams teach you how your breasts normally feel and look, allowing you to notice any changes. But you’ll get it; just follow the steps below.

The American Cancer Society’s breast self-exam steps
While lying down, place your right arm behind your head.

Feel for lumps in your breast using small circular motions with the finger pads of your opposite hand’s three middle fingers. At each point, check your breast tissue with three pressure levels.

With light pressure, you can explore the tissue closest to the skin. Medium pressure lets you exam ducts and lymph nodes, and firm pressure reaches the tissue close to your chest.

After the circular exam is complete, place your fingers under your arm. Slowly run them up and down — from your collarbone to your ribs and back. End at your sternum, and then examine the other breast.

Lymph nodes throughout this entire breast-related area are potential cancer hot spots

Now, stand up in front of a mirror with your hands pressing down on your hips. Do you notice anything different or odd? How is your breasts’ and nipples’ shape/contour, dimpling, size? Do you see any redness, rashes, scaliness, or discharge?

While standing, slightly raising one arm, examine each underarm. Just don’t raise your arm straight up; it tightens the tissue making it more difficult to examine.

If you find a lump or a change, stay calm. Examine the other breast. If both breasts feel the same, it’s probably not abnormal. Tell your provider if the change concerns you. Even though it’s probably not breast cancer, don’t gamble with your life. People love you.

Kendra Siler-Marsiglio, Ph.D. is the Director of the Rural Health Partnership at WellFlorida Council.

If you would like more information for you or a loved one, you can reach caring individuals at the following agencies:

National Cancer Institute
1-800-422-6237
cis.nci.nih.gov

American Cancer Society
1-800-ACS-2345
www.cancer.org
National Women's Health
1-800-994-9662

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
1-888-842-6355 (option 7)
www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/index.htm

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
1-800-462-9273
www.komen.org

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