Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer types spreading rapidly in women. In this condition, you must be cautious about the changes in your breasts. If you feel you may develop breast cancer symptoms, it’s better to check its symptoms.
Breast cancer can be noticed early by taking self-assessment at home. As per the University Cancer Center, most Breast Cancers can be recognized at an early stage because of self-evaluation techniques.
No sole test can aid us in detecting breast cancer on its own. So, we have to use a unification of self-exams and medical screening to determine whether a person has breast cancer.
In this blog, we will discuss how you can check breast cancer symptoms at your home.
Go through these easy-to-follow steps to examine your breasts at home.
How To Perform Self-Assessment To Detect Breast Cancer At Home
Self-examinations, when merged with mammograms & other medical screenings, can assist you to be aware of your breast cancer at its early stage, and you can treat it timely to prevent severe health challenges in the future. You can keep a check on your breasts in a variety of ways.
You should understand that every female has distinct shapes, sizes, and levels of their breasts. The one-side breast can be bigger than the other one. They may keep changing throughout your lifetime. A few women may have bulging armpits after getting their periods. Hence, the UK NHS says females must learn about these five key points for a better breast cancer self-examination:
- Look for information on how your normal breasts feel like
- Know how the normal breasts appear like
- Learn about the symptoms you need to look for
- See your doctor if you observe any breast cancer symptoms
- Go for routine medical screening tests, if you are between the age of 50 to 70.
Breast Cancer: Tips For Self-Examination At Home
You can begin checking if any breast abnormalities are there, with the help of a visual assessment of the breasts, by placing your hands at the side in an unbiased position in front of the mirror. Some of the breast cancer symptoms may incorporate:
- Variations in shape, consistency, and size of either of the breasts
- Continuous occurrence of rashes or changes in the surrounding area of your nipples
- Crinkling or dimpling of the nipple or surrounding skin
- Nipple inversion or retraction
- The highlighted vein on the breasts’ surface
- Lactose discharge or bleeding from the nipples
- Acute soreness or redness of the breasts
- Abnormal inflammation in either of the breasts.
After that, you can lift your hands above or beyond your head or force your hands against your buttocks to bring in a bit of tension in the breast muscles. It assists you in closer monitoring of a change in size or shape of one breast or puckering or change in skin around the breast.
More precisely, to look for variations in your underarms, breasts, or collarbone, do so by bending forward as the breast tissues get accumulated when you stand in this position. After taking this position, you should look for:
- Any thickening, lump, or inflammation near the underarms or in the breasts
- Expanded lymph nodes around the collarbone or underarm
Women can also keep a pillow or folded towel below their shoulders and uplift their arms to use the finger pads of their three fingers to experience the chest tissue in a rounding motion. They can use three fluctuating pressure levels- low, medium, and strong to sense the upper surface of the breasts, then the tissues accumulated around the ribs and muscles.
Assess the entire breasts area systematically in the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. Follow the same procedure or motion around your nipples to look for breast cancer symptoms or lumps. And you are done. If you didn’t find any lump or abnormal pain in your breasts, you are all fine.
Common Breast Cancer Symptoms
The below-mentioned stage 0 breast cancer symptoms can occur with different conditions that are not cancer-related. The symptoms are:
- Persistent lump in the underarm (armpit) or breast
- Swelling or thickening of a portion of the breast
- Irritation or puckering of breast skin
- Flaky or red skin in the nipple site of the breast
- Pain in the nipple or pulling in of the nipple area
- White liquid discharge other than breast milk
- Bleeding from the nipples
- Any variation in the shape or the size of the breast
- Chronic pain in any portion of the breast
Symptoms may vary according to age, stage, rage. In teenagers, symptoms of breast cancer can be different compared to adults. When it comes to breast cancer symptoms teenager may experience slightly different symptoms. Let’s find normal and aggressive breast cancer symptoms for different stages, types, and people.
Postpartum breast cancer symptoms in mothers:
- IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- Unusual discharge
- Lumps or Knots
- Swollen breasts
Axillary tail breast cancer symptoms in women include:
- High body temperature
- Redness, soreness in the swelled area
- Infection area
- Thick yellowish or whitish discharge or sometimes bleeding
You should know that self-assessment is an excellent step with other medical screening tests, but it cannot be a replacement for self-examination. So, seeking medical assistance in an emergency is a good option.
If you have observed some breast cancer symptoms, you need to consult a doctor immediately. Come to University Cancer Centers and get treated well. Why us? Because our nationally accredited breast cancer specialists will make sure you get the utmost quality breast cancer care and treatment. Our professional staff makes sure you get personalized treatment choices, including the most recent breast radiation therapy, breast medical oncology, breast reconstruction, breast surgical options, and innovative clinical practices not available elsewhere.
