There is no one-size-fits-all approach to breast health. Even the experts differ on some details related to breast cancer screening. In addition, every person has different risk factors that may need to be considered. You can never be too young to learn about the signs, symptoms and risks of breast cancer. Here are some steps you can take to manage your breast health. You can begin this process as soon as you begin visits to the gynecologist – even in your teens or twenties. There are two main steps to staying on top of breast health:
1. Know Your Risk
• Talk to family to learn about family health history.
• Talk to your doctor about your risks for breast cancer.
2. Know Your Breasts
• Know the “normal” look and feel of your breasts.
• Use a mirror to see all areas of the breasts.
• Discuss changes with your physician.
3. Get Screened
• Make a plan with your doctor for the age and frequency of routine mammogram screenings and clinical examinations.
• Take into account your family and personal risk factors.
• Discuss what factors might change that plan in the future, such as new cancer diagnosis in the family or breast changes.
About Risk and Screening Procedures
Know What’s Normal for Your Breasts
While regular self-examinations in the shower are not encouraged like they were in the past, knowing your “normal” look and feel of your breasts is still important. Be sure to look in the mirror so you can see all areas of the breasts.
See your health care provider if you notice any of these breast changes:
- Lump, hard knot or thickening in the breast or underarm area
- Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the skin of the breast
- Change in the size or shape of the breast
- Dimpling or puckering of the skin
- Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
- Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast
- Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
- New pain in one spot that does not go away
Know Risk Factors for Breast Cancer
- Increasing age
- Family history of breast or ovarian cancer
- Having a breast cancer genetic mutation.
- Prior breast biopsy with finding of:
- Atypical hyperplasia
- Lobular carcinoma in situ
- Early menarche (beginning of periods before age 12)
- Late menopause (after age 55)
- Never having a baby or late first pregnancy.
- Menopausal hormone therapy with combination estrogen and progestin. Estrogen only pills do not increase risk.
- Certain ethnicities may have increased risk
- Obesity
- Alcohol consumption
- Dense breasts on mammography
- History of lymphoma with radiation to the chest.
Know About Mammography and Guidelines
While age guidelines for mammography are important, they can change. Discuss your screeningplans at each yearly exam with your PCP or Well Woman provider.
Women 40 to 44 have the option to begin mammogram screening
Women 45 to 54 yearly mammograms recommended.
Women 55 and older Continue yearly mammograms or switch to every other year mammograms.Screening should continue if the person is healthy and expects to live at least 10 more years.
Please note, these guidelines are for women at average risk for breast cancer. For screening purposes, a woman is considered to be at average risk if she doesn’t have a personal history of breast cancer, a strong family history of breast cancer, or a genetic mutation known to increase risk of breast cancer (such as in a BRCA gene), and has not had chest radiation therapy before the age of 30.
Mammograms
Everyone should know what to expect when getting a mammogram for breast cancer screening – what the test can and cannot do. Mammograms are low-dose x-rays of the breast. Regular mammograms can help find breast cancer at an early stage when treatment is most likely to be successful. A mammogram can find breast changes of early cancers years before a lump is felt or other symptoms develop.
Mammograms are not perfect. They miss some breast cancers. There’s also a small chance of being diagnosed with a cancer that never would have caused any problems had it not been found during screening. (This is called overdiagnosis.) It's important that women getting mammograms know what to expect and understand the benefits and limitations of screening.
Learn more about Breast Health and Breast Cancer Screening at UTMB Health.