Self Breast Exam
According to the American Cancer Society, “The most common symptom of Breast Cancer is a new lump or mass.”
Despite increased use of screening mammography, a large percentage of breast cancers are detected by women themselves.
Approximately 50% of cases of breast cancer in women 50 years and older and 71% of cases of breast cancer in women younger than 50 years are detected by women themselves. Despite this information, most women are in denial about feeling their breasts for potential lumps.
Most don’t know what to feel for and others just don’t want to go there.
Even if you are getting yearly exams, there are still 364 days of the year in which changes can occur. A significant number of women are present with palpable breast cancer even with a normal exam within 1 year.
According to the American Cancer Society, “women should be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a health care provider right away”.
So … if finding a lump is so important and finding it through touch is so effective, then it only makes sense that the better you are at it, the higher the chances are that you will find your lump sooner than later and smaller than bigger.
There are two critical components to a self breast exam. Only when you combine both, can you expect to achieve the most effective Breast Self-Exam.
1. Your fingers must be taught what to feel for, what a suspicious lump might feel like. This can only be accomplished by palpating a tactually accurate breast model. It cannot be done by watching a video or reading a pamphlet.
2. The educated fingers must then be brought into contact with ALL of the breast tissue where an unhealthy lump might reside.
Would you rather find a lump the size of a ping-pong ball or the size of a pea?
When you come in for your SureTouch breast exam as the examiner to let you feel our “fake breast tissue sample” it has different types of lumps and can help you locate one if necessary.
Stay Healthy,
Janice
