What should you be doing to detect and prevent breast cancer?

Breast self-examination is still one of the most important tools for early diagnosis of breast cancer. After you or your health care provider find a lump, however, more sophisticated diagnostic tests will be needed. At The Hoffberger Breast Center at Mercy, we offer several different types of diagnostic services. These include:

• Mammography: A mammogram is a special x-ray technique for the breast. Often mammography can show asymptomatic breast tumors or tiny deposits of calcium (called microcalcifications) which may be an early sign of cancer. Though mammography is an excellent tool, it cannot detect every abnormal area in the breast and cannot substitute for examination by a doctor or nurse and monthly self-examinations.
  
  
• Ultrasonography: Ultrasound uses sound waves to show whether a lump is solid or filled with water. The patient lies on an examination table and the technologist moves a hand-held device covered with a "jelly medium" across the breast tissue. Ultrasonic waves are transmitted through the jelly and reflected off your breast, producing a measurable image of the tissue layers. Breast ultrasonography is more dynamic than mammography and is especially effective among women with dense breasts, women with fibrocystic breast disease, young women with masses, pregnant women with masses, women with silicon breast implants, and women who should not be exposed to X-rays.
  
  
• Clinical breast examination: Performed by a doctor or nurse, a clinical breast exam is a noninvasive way to detect lumps. The doctor or nurse will palpate the breast and determine the need for further tests.
  
  
• Physical exam: Sometimes breast abnormalities can be caused by other, less serious problems. A physical exam and a thorough medical history is a good way for the doctor to determine whether cancer is a possibility.
  
  
• Biopsy: Sometimes the doctor must remove fluid or tissue from the breast to make a diagnosis. Through aspiration or needle biopsy the doctor can remove fluid or a small amount of tissue with a needle. Surgical biopsy involves cutting out all or part of a lump or suspicious area. Surgical biopsy samples are checked by a lab or pathologist for cancer cells; aspiration samples may or may not be checked by a pathologist, depending on the reason for the test.