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- Health Information for a Better Life
Detecting breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common cancer
for women with more than 22,000 cases diagnosed in Canada in 2002. Men
can develop it too, but this is extremely rare.
Experts say that all women are at risk for breast cancer, and every
woman's risk increases with age. Other risk factors for breast cancer
include having very dense breasts on a mammogram, starting menstruation
at an early age, starting menopause at a late age and giving birth after
age 30 or having no children at all.
What can you do?
Knowing what your breasts look and feel like is key when trying
to determine whether any changes have occurred. Early detection of
abnormal lumps or changes in the appearance of your breasts is vital to
breast cancer survival. Many women have survived breast cancer because
it was detected and treated early.
Symptoms and signs of breast cancer
Women with breast cancer don't often experience any signs or
symptoms. However, things to watch for include a lump in the breast,
nipple discharge, breast pain and a lump that doesn't go away with your
period.
The Canadian Cancer Society suggests that you monitor changes in your
breasts such as size and shape, inverted nipple, crusting, eczema-type
symptoms on the nipple, a change to skin of the breast or a lump in the
armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
If a lump or change in your breasts' appearance has been
detected, your doctor will want to confirm a breast cancer diagnosis
through further testing. To test breast tissue more accurately, a
special X-ray called a diagnostic mammogram is usually performed. Other
tests such as ultrasound, CT (computerized axial tomography) scan, MRIs
(magnetic resonance imaging) and bone scans are performed to test for
other types of cancers in different parts of the body.
Your doctor will also suggest you undergo a biopsy to confirm whether
there are cancerous cells in your breast tissue.
Breast cancer can happen to anyone, so don't ignore a lump or any
changes in your breasts. It's important to have a mammogram every two
years once you turn 50, and if you have a family history of breast
cancer, start getting a mammogram 10 years earlier than the time of
cancer diagnosis in your family member.
The Ontario Breast Screening Program is offered at 90 sites across the
province. April is Cancer Awareness Month. For more information about
cancer prevention, visit HealthyOntario.
