Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Kamis, 12 November 2009
, Posted by Breast Cancer at 01.30
The diagnosis may be established by a careful physical examination, mammography, ultrasonography, and biopsy.
- The doctor will examine the breasts using visual inspection and palpation. Visual inspection looks for changes in breast contour, new dimpling, nipple inversion, discharge, moles, puckering or persistent sores. Palpation is using the pads of the fingers to press down and feel the tissue around the breasts for any unusual lumps. Benign (non-cancerous) lumps may feel different from cancerous ones, but most times it is very difficult to determine whether a lump is cancerous without further testing.
- Mammography is an x-ray of the breast that reveals suspicious areas that are denser than normal breast tissue or have abnormal deposits of calcium. Mammography is an important screening test which can show a breast cancer long before it is big enough to be felt in the breast. Women over age 40 should undergo a mammogram every year in order to detect breast cancers when they are small and can be treated easily. Since mammograms have been used routinely in the United States, the death rate from breast cancer has fallen dramatically as cancers are found earlier, when they are more likely to be curable.
- Ultrasonography uses high frequency sound waves that enter the breast and bounce back. The pattern of their echoes produce a picture called a sonogram that detects whether the breast lump is solid (possibly cancerous) or filled with fluid (non-cancerous). An ultrasound is usually recommended to evaluate a palpable breast lump or an abnormality seen on a mammogram.
- Many times when an abnormality is felt in the breast or seen on a mammogram, the doctor will recommend a biopsy. In a biopsy, tissue is removed from the breast and examined by a pathologist, who can tell if cancerous cells are present. There are three ways to do breast biopsies: fine needle aspiration, large core breast biopsy and surgical biopsy. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) uses a fine needle, inserted into the breast tissue, to withdraw cells from the suspicious area. Large core breast biopsy uses a large core needle in a spring-loaded device that removes "cores" or plugs of tissue from the suspicious area. Surgical biopsy is the surgical removal of part or all of the lump or suspicious area.
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