The main ways to screen for breast cancer

There are several basic and important methods for detecting breast cancer. We list them in order and then discuss each method individually, mentioning the pros and cons of each method

1- Self-examination of the breast by the woman herself

2- Clinical breast examination performed by the doctor

3- Mammography or mammogram

4- Breast Ultrasound (Ultrasound- Sonar)

5- Breast MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

6- Blood test for BRCA1 – BRCA2 gene mutations

7- Taking a sample from the suspicious tissue area Biopsy and examining it in the lab

8 – In the end, when doctors are close to concluding that the tumor is more likely to be malignant, the solution is to remove the suspicious tumor and then send a sample of it to the laboratory for analysis in the Histopathological examination department (Histopathological examination).

It is a preventive method in which a woman feels the breast and armpit areas in an integrated manner to check for painful or painless lumps

Although this method is inaccurate and subject to the fact that it is performed by non-specialists, teaching this method to girls and women helps greatly in raising awareness among the general female population and drawing their attention to the importance of taking further steps on the road to screening and reassurance

As soon as we draw women’s attention to the need to perform breast self-examination periodically, many women discover the presence of something in the breast, and this thing may be cysts, some fibroids or benign lumps, and may also be malignant lumps; therefore, breast self-examination is considered one of the first lines of defense on the road to detecting or preventing breast cancer, but the absence of lumps felt by this examination does not mean that the chances of not having lumps in reality are zero, as this examination is generally considered inaccurate.

This examination is considered more accurate than the previous one, as it is conducted by a specialized doctor who will scan all areas of the breast that may not have been examined by the woman herself when she did the self-examination, and the presence of any kind of lumps by the doctor will be an impetus for more accurate examinations, and even if there are no lumps in the breast through the examination Therefore, if the woman is in the high-risk group, it is necessary to proceed with the rest of the screening methods, but if the woman is over the age of forty, mammography is considered an urgent necessity, and this necessity is even more emphasized if the woman is over the age of fifty.

Breast cancer screening with mammography (Mammogram) is the primary and best indispensable method of detecting breast cancer for many women, and despite the inconvenience of this test, it is an urgent necessity for women after the age of 40 – or before reaching this age if any of their close relatives have had breast cancer or if they have one or some factors that may make them susceptible to this disease

Mammography breast cancer screening detects any abnormal changes in the breast and the presence of any lumps or masses that may later be diagnosed as cancerous tumors in the breast and vice versa. Mammography breast cancer screening can also show some forms of breast cancer before the occurrence of an apparent tumor that a woman can feel by hand or feel its presence.

The mammogram has been the traditional screening test for breast cancer for many decades and has been instrumental in the early detection of this disease. According to a British study, this test has contributed to reducing the mortality rate from breast cancer by 28% of cases.

Ultrasound is best, especially for women with firmer, denser breasts and younger women

It is also more comfortable for the patient, more accurate, and safer

In a study at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in the United States conducted on 3000 women at high risk of breast cancer, the women were divided into two groups: the first were examined with mammograms only and the second were examined with both mammograms and then ultrasound.

The study found that in the first group examined with mammograms only, 50% of the tumors were diagnosed

The detection rate increased to 78% in the group that used both techniques

1- There is still not enough trained and specialized staff in the world to perform ultrasound and diagnose with the utmost accuracy, which is required to distinguish ultrasound from mammograms, otherwise ultrasound loses its usefulness, and this sufficient number of specialists is not yet available not only for all women, but even for the most vulnerable groups.

2- While up to 50 mammograms can be performed in an hour, the maximum number that can be examined by ultrasound to give accurate results is only 5 cases

3- Sonar is still more expensive than mammograms

4- A number of false positive results appear with the ultrasound

An MRI scan is more accurate than both a mammogram and an ultrasound

MRI is making rapid strides to become more popular and more familiar as a primary method of breast screening

However, the disadvantages of this type of examination are that it is very expensive compared to the previous methods, in addition to the fact that it requires technical groups trained in the use of this technology and to reach an accurate diagnosis

However, the patient may be in need of this type of test, so the patient should discuss her case in detail with the doctors and the doctors should decide to what extent the patient will need the different levels of testing.

If a first-degree relative – such as a mother, sister or daughter – has had breast cancer, the chances of developing the disease increase. A woman should undergo additional laboratory tests to determine if she has any BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, which are medically referred to as BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

Especially if a woman’s close relatives have more than one female breast cancer, one male breast cancer, or more than one female under the age of 50 with uterine cancer.

This is considered the definitive way to reach an accurate diagnosis, but doctors only use it under certain circumstances

In the end, when doctors are close to concluding that the tumor is more likely to be malignant, the solution is to remove the suspicious tumor and then send a sample to the laboratory for analysis in the Histopathological examination department (Histopathological examination).