Breast cancer awareness is highly promoted in the month of October in the United States, but the disease impacts women and men every single day. It’s one of the leading causes of death among women.1,2
Who is at risk?
If you are a young Black woman under the age of 40, you should pay special attention because you are more likely to get breast cancer than a non-Hispanic White woman.2 Men are affected by breast cancer, though the number of new cases and deaths are lower than in women. Non-Hispanic Black men have the highest new cases of breast cancer than other ethnic groups in the US and the rate of death is also higher than in non-Hispanic white and Hispanic men.2-5
There are multiple treatment options for breast cancer, especially when it is discovered early. If your breast cancer is detected early, you are more likely to survive after your diagnosis.2 The key to early detection is breast cancer screenings. Whether your breasts are checked at home, or in a clinic, it’s important that you understand the importance of getting regular breast exams. This article will go over the types of breast cancer screenings available, along with their differences.
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in one or both breasts.2,6 Cancers are diseases that occur when unhealthy cells with damaged DNA take over healthy cells and grow quickly. Although cancer cells usually start in one area, over time the unhealthy cells can spread rapidly and take over healthy cells throughout the body. Metastatic breast cancer is cancer that started in the breast tissue but spread beyond the breast to the lymph nodes or blood stream, to other parts of the body.7
The sooner you can detect breast cancer, the less likely that it has spread to tissues outside of the breast. This is what makes breast cancer screenings so important. Screenings help with detection. The earlier the detection, the more likely you are to survive. People diagnosed with breast cancer that is only in the breast tissue are 3x more likely to survive at least 5 years after diagnosis than those that have breast cancer that has spread throughout the body.2
Let’s look at the specific statistics of survival based on how breast cancer has spread at diagnosis.
Adapted from 2014-2020 SEER data, 2024
*Relative survival rates compare survival rates for women with breast cancer to survival rates for women in the general population over the same period of time.
Breast cancer signs and symptoms
If you’ve ever felt any changes to your breast tissue, you know that it can be a frightening experience. If you notice a change to your breast, it doesn’t automatically mean that you have cancer. Some changes may occur as a result of aging, non-cancerous cysts, infection, or something else.
It’s important that you know how your breasts normally feel and look. Every person’s breasts look and feel a little different. Some people have more dense breast tissue than others. Some people have large nipples, while other nipples are small. It’s much easier to detect changes in your breasts if you know what’s normal for you.
It’s important to get regular screening mammograms, but sometimes breast cancer is detected during breast self-exams at home between yearly mammograms.
If you notice any of the changes shown in the pictures below, you should make an appointment with your doctor to take a closer look at your breasts.
Types of breast exams
Maybe you’ve heard of a mammogram, which is a special type of x-ray that is used to detect breast cancer. A screening mammogram isn’t the only type of breast exam. There are exams that you can do yourself at home, and other exams that your doctor will do in a clinic that won’t involve an x-ray. Let’s explore breast exams and their differences.
Breast self-exam
A breast self-exam is a simple method for checking your breasts for lumps at home. Some studies show that the majority of breast cancers are initially discovered by patients during breast self- exams. Some women have discovered a lump in the breast while bathing or dressing, but it won’t cause harm for you to regularly perform a breast exam.9
The exam involves more than just touching your breast. There is a specific process to make sure you cover your entire breast. If you’re going to perform breast self-exams, it’s important that you follow the procedure. The National Breast Cancer Foundation recommends that you perform a self breast exam in your shower, in front of a mirror or lying down every month.10 Find more detailed instructions on how you can perform a breast self- exam at home here.
Clinical breast exam
Clinical breast exams are similar to breast self-exams except they are performed by a healthcare provider at a clinic. This exam may take place as part of your yearly women’s wellness exam, or it may be performed separately if you express concerns about your breasts. If you are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer due to family history, etc. your physician may perform these exams more often.
Mammogram
Mammograms are designed to detect breast cancer at an early stage. A mammogram is a test that uses X-rays to create images of the breast and can detect changes in breast tissue before physical symptoms develop. They don’t catch 100% of breast cancer cases, however. In some cases, cancer develops between yearly mammograms. In other cases, mammograms may not be as effective in women with very dense breast tissue. In those cases, women may need to also have a breast ultrasound.11
How often should I get screened for breast cancer?
The recommended frequency of breast exam screenings will vary based on whether or not you are at high risk for breast cancer. The higher your risk, the earlier you will need to start screenings, the more often you will need to be screened, and the more sophisticated your screening will need to be.
If you are at high risk for breast cancer, you should get a breast MRI and an mammogram every year starting at age 30. You are considered high risk if you6:
- Had radiation therapy
- Have a parent, brother, sister, or child with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, and have not had genetic testing themselves (BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are the most common cause of hereditary breast cancer. Women with either of these gene mutations has up to a 70% chance of getting breast cancer by age 80)12.
- Have a known BRCA1 or BRC2 gene mutation
- Have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome or Bennayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, or have a parent, brother, sister, or child with one of these syndromes
If you are at average risk for breast cancer, the American Cancer Society guidelines for breast cancer screening are more flexible.
- Women between the ages of 40 and 44 can start mammograms every year, if they desire.
- Women between the ages of 45 and 54 should get yearly mammograms
- Women aged 55 years and older can continue getting yearly mammograms, or they can switch to mammograms every other year. As long as these women are in good health and expected to live at least 10 more years, they should keep getting mammograms.
- Clinical breast exams are not required for breast cancer screening among average-risk women at any age.
References
1. Ghodsi, Z et al. (2014) Breast self-examination and mammography in cancer screening https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718330/
2. Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. (2024) Breast Cancer Statistics https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/facts-statistics/breast-cancer-statistics/
3. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute. SEER*Explorer. Breast Cancer – Recent trends in SEER age-adjusted incidence rates, 2000-2020, by sex, observed SEER incidence rate, all races/ethnicities, all ages, all stages. Accessed on April 20, 2023. https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/, 2023
4. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute. SEER*Explorer. Breast Cancer – Recent trends in SEER age-adjusted mortality rates, 2000-2020, by sex, all races/ethnicities, all ages. Accessed on April 20, 2023. https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/, 2023.
5. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute. SEER*Explorer. Breast Cancer – Recent trends in SEER age-adjusted incidence rates, 2000-2020, by race/ethnicity, observed SEER incidence rate, male, all ages, all stages. Accessed on April 21, 2023. https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/, 2023.
6. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures (2024). Cancer Facts and Figures 2024. https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/2024-cancer-facts-figures.html
7. American Cancer Society (2024) What is Breast Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/what-is-breast-cancer.html
8. National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (2024) Metastatic Breast Cancer https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/metastatic-breast-cancer/
9. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute. SEER*Explorer. Breast Cancer – SEER 5-year relative survival rates, 2014-2020, by stage at diagnosis, female, all races/ethnicities, all ages. Accessed on May 21, 2024. https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/, 2024
10. American Cancer Society (2024) Breast Cancer Signs and Symptoms https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detection/breast-cancer-signs-and-symptoms.html
11. National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (2024) Breast Self-Exam https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-self-exam/
12. Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (2024) Breast Cancer Screening and Early Protection. https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/screening/
13. American Cancer Society (2024) Breast Cancer Risk Factors You Cannot Change https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/risk-and-prevention/breast-cancer-risk-factors-you-cannot-change.html
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