October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Margaret Steslicki

2/3/2000 12:00:00 AM

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer experienced by women in America. This year, more than 175,000 women will lose their lives.

However, the good news is, when breast cancer is detected early and treated promptly, fewer women will lose their lives.

According to the American Cancer Society, the number of deaths could be lowered if more women follow a three-step plan for good breast health. This includes breast self examination (BSE), clinical breast exam and mammograms. If you are between the ages of 18 and 39, you should examine your breasts every month, have a clinical breast exam every one to three years and have a baseline mammogram when you are between the ages of 35 and 39 years. If you are 40-years-old or over, you should examine your breasts every month, have a clinical breast exam every year and have a mammogram yearly. By following these three steps, women can ensure that developing breast cancers are found in their earliest, most curable stages.

Most breast cancers are found by women themselves. Practicing monthly breast self exams (BSE) will alert a woman to any breast changes that may signal a need to have further evaluation by her health care provider. If you are a woman who is still menstruating, the best time to do a self breast exam is five to seven days after your period when your breasts are not tender or swollen. If your periods have stopped, examine your breasts on the same day each month (for example: the first day of the month).

All women should check their breasts monthly, including their armpits and chest area up to their collarbone. Always use the pads of your three middle fingers pressing in dime size circular motions. It is good to try to use three different pressures, light, medium and deep. With practice, this will become a part of your monthly routine.

It is important to become familiar with your own breasts so that you will be able to detect a change. Common signs and symptoms of an abnormality that should be reported to your physician may include the following: breast mass or thickening that is almost always painless, nipple discharge, a change in the shape of the breast, a lump that does not move, swelling or redness of the skin, dimpling or puckering of the skin, one breast larger than the other and lymph node enlargement.

Mammography, an X-ray of the breast, is the single most effective method for detecting breast changes that may be cancer, long before symptoms can be seen or felt. But, mammography must be done routinely. As women age, their risk of breast cancer increases. High quality mammography screening should begin at the age of 40 and continue on an annual basis. In addition to the use of mammography, a woman should also have a clinical breast exam by a health care provider.

All women are at risk for breast cancer. However, there are several factors that may increase the chance that a woman may develop breast cancer. Risk factors include being older than age 50, having a personal history of breast cancer, having a mother and/or sister who has had breast cancer (with the risk increasing if these relatives had cancer in both breasts and if it occurred before menopause), first childbirth after age 30, never having children, early onset of menstruation combined with late menopause, not doing monthly self breast exams, a diet that is high in fat and low in fiber, obesity (weighing over 40 percent or more of your ideal body weight) and the use of alcoholic beverages��especially hard liquor and beer.

Having one or more of these risk factors does not mean a woman will develop breast cancer, but it is important to be aware of the risks and the symptoms of the disease. All women should learn and practice good health habits that could lead to the early detection of breast cancer.

Remember, your good health is a gift to you and to those you love. Breast self exam, clinical breast exam and mammography may save your life or the life of a loved one. Please share this message with your grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties and friends. You could save their lives.

Women's health screening clinics are held at Nimkee Memorial Wellness Center every Monday and every two to three months at Standish Community Hospital. If financial assistance is needed for screening, funding through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) for women who qualify.

For more information or if you would like to schedule a screening appointment, please contact Margaret Steslicki at (517) 775-4618 or Judy Davis at (517) 775-4629.