Battling Cancer

About 1 in 12 women will contract breast cancer some time during their life, with the odds increasing as they age. But with modern medicine, treatment can be relatively simple and effective. Key to that success, though, is early detection. A regular mammogram is one traditional and still highly useful tool to do so.

A mammogram is a simple x-ray photograph of the breast area. The plates are then examined by a radiologist, who is trained to look at the subtle differences in the picture for indications of tumors. It is an important part of the regime to distinguish between benign cysts and cancerous growths.

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Medical professionals now have an extensive array of tools at their disposal to make diagnosis of breast cancer more reliable, especially in the early stages. That’s great news, since it considerably increases the odds of keeping breast cancer down to the level of ’serious but not permanently scarring or life-threatening’.

Diagnosis will usually start with a clinical exam. The physician will perform a hands-on breast examination similar to the self-exam that is recommended for all women over age 19. Cancerous lumps generally feel harder and less mobile than benign cysts. Cancer tumors are frequently irregular while non-cancerous lumps tend to be round. A trained professional can often tell the difference.

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