The Effects Of Early Detection Of Breast Cancer

The most effective way of early detection of breast cancer is by simply getting a mammogram, which is an x-ray picture of the breast. The recommended age to start getting them once a year is 50, but it is never too early to start. Mammograms have been shown to detect cancer up to two years before the tumor can be felt in the breast (Cancer Care). Other ways to detect breast cancer early on is by receiving clinical breast exams as well as self-breast exams. Women are given a clinical breast exam every time they go to the doctor for their yearly physical, but it is very important for them to perform themselves around once a month. Every woman should be familiar with the way their breasts look and feel so it easy to detect any changes that might …show more content…
Another possible early sign of breast cancer that many people do not know about is swollen lymph nodes. Breast cancer can spread to lymph nodes and cause a lump or swelling there before the tumor in the breast is large enough to feel. Many women who have breast cancer actually do not experience these symptoms and that is why it is so important to get a mammogram every year. If a woman is experiencing any of the symptoms previously listed, they need to see a doctor immediately who will examine their breasts. If the results found by the doctor show any possibility of breast cancer, a diagnostic mammogram will be. The diagnostic mammogram includes more images of the specific area and whether or not this shows notion of cancer, a biopsy will be performed to determine it. During a biopsy, a sample of the afflicted area is removed and looked at under a microscope by a pathologist. After the tissue sample is taken, the doctor will place a tiny metal clip inside the breast at the biopsy site, allowing an easier way of finding the area in the …show more content…
Cancer is described in stages that are numbered on a scale from zero to four with zero describing cancers that remain within their original location and stage four describing cancers that have spread through the body away from their origin. In stage zero breast cancer, there is no evidence of cancer cells breaking out of the part of the breast where they started. Moving on to stage one, the tumor measures up to two centimeters and the lymph nodes begin to be involved as well. When looking at stage two, the tumor continues to grow between two to five centimeters and has possibly spread to the lymph nodes under the arm on the same side as the breast cancer. In stage three breast cancer, the tumor is now more than two inches in diameter and the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes. If progressing to stage four, the cancer has spread beyond the breast, underarm, and internal lymph nodes to other parts of the body. Lastly, looking at recurrent breast cancer one can see the disease has returned in spite of the initial treatment used. The doctor begins with the stage of the disease when deciding the proper treatment for the patient. The stage of the cancer also helps with understanding the prognosis and being able to compare to others in the same