How to check for breast disease?

Women often suffer from breast diseases, such as mastitis and breast hyperplasia. The incidence of these two diseases is very high nowadays. Patients may have lumps in their breasts, which may cause pain when pressed by hand. In addition, they may be accompanied by some systemic symptoms. At this time, you must pay attention to it. It is best to go to the hospital for scientific instruments to help with the examination. Common examination methods are listed below.

How to check for breast disease?

Self-check

The time for self-examination of breast hyperplasia should be done one week after menstruation, because before menstruation, the breast tissue becomes congested, causing the entire breast to swell, which can easily lead to misjudgment. The purpose of self-examination is to become familiar with the normal bumps, lumps, and bulges of the breasts so that you can be sensitive to changes. Pay special attention to any lumps that actually appear and have persisted in the same location for a month or two. However, about 90% of breast lumps are benign. The difference between benign and malignant lumps is that benign lumps may appear at any time under the action of hormones, and are particularly obvious before and after menstruation.

Doctor palpation

Women over 30 can do it once a year. This is the first step in a professional breast examination. The examination includes: whether the nipple is sunken, lifted, or has discharge; whether there are lumps or dimples in the breast; whether the position of the two breasts is consistent and whether there is any change in color. On the day of the examination, it is best to wear open-collared clothes to facilitate the examination. During the examination, whether you are standing or sitting facing the doctor, you should try to relax as much as possible so that the doctor can obtain accurate examination results. Doctors usually use the middle three fingers to touch, starting from the area around the areola and expanding in a spiral clockwise direction until the entire breast tissue is reached. If a lump is found during breastfeeding, further examination should be conducted after weaning.

Infrared scanning

Infrared scanning is particularly suitable for screening pregnant and breastfeeding women. This examination mainly utilizes the different infrared absorption rates of normal tissue and diseased tissue to display different grayscale images such as translucent, dark and bright to diagnose breast diseases. Because this test is fast and non-radioactive, it is often used as an initial screening test for breast disease during physical examinations. Although this examination is not a professional breast examination, it can still be used as a way to examine breast lesions.

Ultrasound examination

When a breast lump is suspected, an ultrasound examination is necessary. This is a preliminary screening test for breast lumps, which can be used to determine the nature and location of the lump. However, it has poor recognition ability for masses less than 1 cm in diameter, and if this test is done alone, smaller masses may be missed.

Mammography

Women should have a mammogram every year after age 40. This examination involves clamping the breast on the support plate of a mammography machine to fix the breast and obtain a clear image, which can detect tiny tumor buds that are impossible to feel with the hands. If such examinations are carried out every year, the patient mortality rate can be reduced to 30% to 40%. There may be slight pain during the examination, which is caused by the pressure of the splint on the breast and can be relieved by adjusting the body position.