Breast exam methods depend on a doctor's recommendation and also include age, risk factors and prior involvement with breast cancer. Breast exams detect and evaluate changes in the breasts and the detection of breast cancer in its early stages, greatly improves the chances for surviving the disease.
Breast Self-Exam
The American Cancer Society recommends a breast self-exam as an exam method for women in their 20s. A breast self-exam or BSE, provides a manual observation of the breasts. Women typically perform a BSE once a month, three to five days after the ending of a menstrual period. Perform a BSE on the same day of each month, even if menstruation no longer occurs. Doing a BSE regularly allows for a woman to know what the normal contours of the breasts look and feel like, and alerts the woman to any changes. Most of the time, breast changes don't result in cancer; but do report any breast changes to a health care professional.
Breast Physical Exam
A breast physical exam consists of a careful manual examination of the breasts by a doctor or other health professional. A breast physical examination often detects lumps that women may miss with their own self-exams and what some women think occur normally with the breasts, a health professional often detects it as an alteration. Breastcancer.org reported that a breast physical exam found breast cancer about 20 percent of the time.
Mammogram
The American Cancer Society recommends mammogram screenings for women in their 40 as an early detection method for breast cancer. Mammograms detect and evaluate breast changes in women with symptoms of breast cancer such as a lump, pain or nipple discharge, and they can detect tumors that even a manual breast exam can't find. Finding small breast cancers early with a screening mammogram greatly improves a woman's chance for successful treatment.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Women considered a high-risk for breast cancer usually get the test called magnetic resonance imaging or MRI. The American Cancer Society describes high-risk as women with a family history or history of prior treatment with radiation. An MRI of the breasts can evaluate breast abnormalities seen on a mammogram, identify breast abnormalities in women with dense breast tissue or scar tissue, examine breast implants, evaluate the process of breast cancer treatment, identify cysts or enlarged breast ducts, and examine lymph nodes near the breasts.
Ultrasound
A breast ultrasound evaluates breast problems found during a screening, on a mammogram or during a physical exam. An ultrasound takes a closer look at some breast masses, and evaluates a suspicious area non-invasively.
Biopsy
A biopsy confirms cancer in any suspicious area found in the breast. A physician performs a biopsy and removes cells or breast tissue from the suspicious area and looks at it under a microscope.
