Medically reviewed by Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Shera.
Breast Cancer is a pronounced issue for women all around the world. Dawn reported that Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia, with about one in nine women developing it.
Therefore, regularly examining your breasts on your own is an important way to find out if you have it or not. Early diagnosis is important so that it can be treated successfully. There is not a single test that can detect all breast cancer early, but performing breast self-exam with other screening methods can definitely increase the odds of early detection.
Most Common Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Some of the breast cancer signs and symptoms include:
- Swelling in the breast, armpit or chest area. (Sometimes you might feel the lump but not necessarily see it)
Swelling of the breast
- Dimpling of the breast
Dimpling of the breast
- Change in color of your breast
Color change of the breast
- An inverted nipple (If the nipple gets pulled in)
Inverted nipple
- Rashes around the nipple
Rash
- Liquid discharge from either nipple
Discharge
Other than this, pain in your breasts is not a sign of breast cancer. But, if you have pain all the time then you need to consult a doctor.
No doctor around- Ways to check your breast at home
It takes only a few minutes to check your breasts. There is no special method to this and you don’t need any prior training to check them.
First, you need to check the whole breast area, armpits, and upper chest. Do this every week because you need to be super consistent to figure out the changes.
Follow the LTC method. First, look at your breasts and see if you can find out anything different. Now, feel them and see if there is anything unusual. If yes, then go to your GP and figure out any changes.
Use your hands to search for any lumps around your breast, armpit and upper chest area. For this, take your three middle fingers and make three round motions for the whole breast area. Move forward, and continue moving your hands towards the underarm area.
What happens after that?
If you suspect any lump then go to your GP. After examining your breasts, the GP will either:
- Send you home because there is no need for any further examination
- Ask to see you after a few days to notice the change
- Send you to a breast cancer specialist.
It doesn’t mean that you have breast cancer if you are being referred to a specialist. All it means is that more tests are needed to find out about the happenings.
If you feel uncomfortable then take a friend along for support. Take care of your health and get yourself checked as early as possible!
