It Is Good to Undergo a Breast Cancer Screening. 

One of the best ways to detect breast cancer is through Breast Cancer Screening . Screening is nothing but a normal examination of a woman's breasts and some tests to find out possible breast cancer early. 

Familiarity with the way your breasts look and feel can help you notice symptoms such as lumps, pain, or changes in size that may be of concern. Self examination can identify changes and you should report any changes that you notice to your doctor or health care provider. 

Screening detects cancer even before it can be felt by hands or causes any symptoms. One can get screened for breast cancer at a clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office. Breast X-ray also known as Mammography remains the best screening test for most women. It is easier to treat it before it becomes big enough to feel or cause symptoms. 


Who should undergo breast cancer screening?

There various recommendations for breast cancer screening. The age to start screening is controversial.  Latest guidelines recommend that mammography screening for most women should begin at age 50 rather than 40, and that the frequency be every two years (instead of annually) through the age of 74. However, it is to be noted that the higher age– 50– is only a guideline (not a strict rule) and only for screening women with no known high risk of breast cancer. These are western guidelines that may not apply to India. As Indian women tend to have breast cancer a decade earlier than western women, it would be advisable start at 40. If a woman finds a lump on her breast, a complete investigation is still very important, regardless of the woman’s age. 

For a woman at high risk of breast cancer because of her family history or environmental exposures, regular screening before age 50, or even before age 40, may be a very good idea.Each woman’s decision about mammography screening should be based on the following risk factors: age, breast density, history of breast biopsy, family history of breast cancer, and personal beliefs about the benefits and harms of screening.With dramatic improvements in treatments for breast cancer in the number of breast cancer deaths, even while more cases of breast cancer were being diagnosed.

For more on breast cancer prevention: http://macsforcancer.com/index.php/breast-cancer-early-detection