A thorough breast examination should be part of every routine physical and be included with a yearly gynecologic checkup. There are three well-proven methods for detecting early breast cancer.
• Breast Self-Examination Monthly breast self-examination (BSE) can be taught by trained physicians and
nurses. Many communities have centers to teach women how to perform this vital examination. It is far more
likely that a woman will detect changes in her breasts earlier and more efficiently than would someone who
examines her less frequently.
• Breast Examination Examination of the breasts is a component of routine physical checkups. Benign lumps
and masses as well as areas of thickening occur from time to time in most women, and repeated examinations by
a physician may call attention to areas that deserve further testing. Physicians often draw in their records
diagrams of areas of change or concern, which makes it easier to detect small changes at the next examination.
• Mammography for Apparently Healthy Women There is now widespread agreement that mammography
(low-dose x-ray imaging of the breasts) can discover cancers at least a year before—and sometimes as much as
four years before—they can be felt. The scientific evidence is most convincing for screening women over age 50.
The value of mammography screening for women ages 40 to 49 remains controversial.
• The Canadian Task Force on Periodic Health Examination recommends that women over the age of 50 have
mammography every year or two. Regular mammograms are recommended beginning at age 35 to 40 when the
risk of breast cancer is very high (because of prior breast cancer, history of premenopausal breast cancer in a
mother or sister or a breast biopsy showing atypical hyperplasia).
