Preventing Breast Cancer: United Family Oncologist's Top Tips

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) and United Family New Hope Oncology Center held a practical health talk to help teach you about breast cancer prevention and early detection. Here are some of the valuable lessons we learned in that talk. Take notes so that you can protect yourself against the disease.

Lesson 1: Early detection is key

Dr. Lijun Tian, an oncologist at United Family New Hope Oncology Center, gave a presentation at last month's health talk, teaching us some of the things we can do to prevent breast cancer. She stressed the importance of early detection, as the sooner a diagnosis is made, the better the prognosis will be. 

How can you ensure you get diagnosed early? Women over the age of 40 should get a mammogram yearly and all women should perform self-checks monthly. If you're in your 20s or 30s and find a lump, don't freak out! It could just be what doctors call "lumpy breasts", or fibrocystic breast disease. Breast cancer nodules are small and feel very hard. 

Lesson 2: How to do a self-exam

It's good practice to do monthly breast exams. Once you know what's normal for your breasts, it's easier to tell when something is different. The best time to do a breast exam is three to five days after your period ends.

Examine your breasts in front of the mirror:

First, conduct a visual examination of your breasts.

• Stand in front of a mirror and check that your breasts are symmetrical in color and shape. Does one look very different from the other?

• Check to see if the texture of your skin is normal. Is it rough? Is the skin raised?

• Check if your nipple looks normal. Is it flat? Does it dip inward? Is it orange? Are there any part where it protrudes more than it usually does?

• Raise and lower your arm and observe the way your breast moves. Does it move in an uneven way?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", you should see your doctor.

Examine your breasts with your fingertips:

Once your visual exam is over, search for lumps using your fingertips. When examining your breasts, Dr. Tian suggests using your index and middle fingers to press the breast tissue into the breast wall with a downward motion. 

• Lift one arm and hold the back of your head. Conduct the breast exam with the other hand. 

• Mentally divide your breast into four quadrants: top left (A), top right (B), bottom left (C), and bottom right (D) and examine them individually. The whole thing should take about 15 minutes.

• Start from the outer part of the breast and work your way toward the center of the breast.

• Finally, examine your nipple to get an idea of what it should feel like. If you notice any change in the texture of your nipple, see your doctor.

Breast cancer nodules feel hard, like a rock. You won't be able to feel your rib under it. If you find one, go see your doctor to get it checked out.

Lesson 3: Know and reduce your risk

Aside from conducting regular breast exams, living a healthy, balanced lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. The majority of breast cancer patients have no family history of the disease, so everyone needs to be vigilant. Your risk of developing the disease increases with age, so the older you get, the more vigilant you should be. If breast cancer runs in your family, or if you are at a higher risk of developing the disease for other reasons, you should get regular MRI scans on top of your yearly mammogram.

If you have any concerns, or if you find a lump, please don't hesitate to make an appointment with Dr. Tian or one of our other specialists. You can do so by calling our service center at 4008-919191.

• Oncology medications have recently been subject to a price cut. Want to know more? Here you go.
  

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