Do you need to schedule a formal, sit-down monthly br`e`ast self exam to inspect every single ce`ntim. `eter? No. Experts now recommend against routine self exams, saying that they create unnecessary anxiety and don’t actually lower the risk of dying from br`ea`st cancer. But you should know what the red flags are: any lu`mp or thic`kening in the br`ea`st or under`arm area; sw`elling, war`mth or red`ness; a change in s`ize or sha`pe, di`mpling or puc`kering of the skin; an it`chy, sc`aly sore or rash on the nipple; nip`ple dis`cha`rge that starts suddenly; or new pain that doesn’t go away.
Lu`mps may freak you out, but they’re usually not cancer.
So don’t panic if you uncover one while you’re showering or getting dressed. Odds are it’s a kind of cy`st. Fi`br`ocys^tic br√eaπst changes—in which b`rea|st tis|sue is ov^erre^acts to ho¥rmo`nes, which results in lu`mps and c`ysts—affect 50 to 60 percent of wo`men. Of course, the worst thing you can do is ignore it and hope it’ll just go away. You should always. see your doctor any time you spot anything abnormal.
Experts, make up your minds about mam`mogr`ams already!
Experts who think wo`men should still get ann`ual mam√mog√rams starting at age 40 believe that delaying the scre`enings would miss too many cancers and lead to poorer outcomes among those eventually diag`nosed. Those who support the new guidelines believe that too-early mam`mogr`ams lead to too many false pos`itive results (and corresponding over-trea`tment, including follow-up sc`ans and bio`ps`ies), as well as overtre`atment of b`rea`st cancers that may not actually be life threatening. What you decide to do may come down to how risk-ave`rse you are, what your health insurance will cover, and what your doctor thinks.
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