Breast Cancer – The Ways Of Detecting It
Of the various different types of cancer that people are now getting, breast cancer is one of the more treatable of them. But it is important that if a woman wants hers to be treated effectively it needs to be detected in the very early stages of growth. In fact because of the way it can be detected today breast cancer is considered to be one of the more favorable forms of cancer that can now be treated.
When it comes to detecting cancer of the breast in its early stages is by doing a breast examination or using a mammography as these are the more favored methods. In fact in studies carried out the smaller the breast cancer once it has been detected then there is a much higher chance the person with it will survive.
Today women are being advised and told that it is vitally important that they learn how to carry out examinations of their own breasts on a regular basis. The reason for this being that they will be more aware and notice any slight changes to the formation of their breasts that were not there before. Also it is now being highlighted that having a regular mammograph is important as well especially for women where there is a history of breast cancer in their family. Certainly using this form of examination will help to ensure that the cancer is detected at the earliest stage possible. As you will soon find out both these forms of examination are used as the basis in helping to detect breast cancer in women today.
However there are many who are unsure just how often it is they should be carrying out a breast examination or under going a mammograph in order to see if they have this form of cancer or not. Generally it is felt by medical professionals that a woman should be looking to carry out a self examination of her breasts each month. Probably the best time to be doing this is when they are having a shower.
As for mammograms in the USA the ACS (American Cancer Society) recommend that women have their first mammogram when they reach the age of 40. This will then be used as a base reading and after this they will need to have a further mammogram test each year. However the ACS do suggest that with those women who are at a much higher risk of developing this form of cancer or suffer from any other type of breast problems. Then they should have their first mammogram at the age of 35.
A mammogram uses an x ray machine which is then able to detect cancer in a woman’s or even sometimes in men’s breasts. These machines are able to detect the cancer at its earliest stage when it is very small and would not be detected using the more traditional breast examination.
Around 85 to 90% of all the breast cancer that is now being detected and thus treated has been done through the use of mammography. But not only is the number of women being detected and treated for this particular form of cancer increased but the number of women actually dying from it has reduced. In fact in those women who are over the age of 50 and have been diagnosed with having breast cancer today around 30% more are likely to survive.
Although using mammography does help to detect breast cancer in its very early stages in most women there are some around 10%-15% of women that this method of detecting this form of cancer can not help. So it is extremely important that all women learn the right way for carrying out a self examination of their breasts and what are the main signs to look for. It is preferable for a woman to carry out her own self examination as she will be more aware of any changes that take place in her body each month. Yet if she does not feel that she is able to carry out the examination properly or she has discovered something untoward then it is important that she arranges for her doctor to carry out a physical examination as well.
Source: http://www.myarticlemall.com
Certainly discovering that you or are loved one has breast cancer is a horrifying experience, no longer does it mean a person’s life is at an end. However by visiting Cancer Report we provide useful guides and articles that will help to make dealing with this form of cancer much easier to handle.