For your health: 3 simple steps to early detection of breast cancer

Early Detection of breast cancer saves your life, as its detection in the early stages increases the cure rate by up to 99% in some cases, according to the American Cancer Society.

1-   Mammogram detection: start from 40 years

Mammogram or mammogram is an approved screening for breast cancer starting at the age of forty, and repeated every one or two years. The importance of this examination is that it detects very small cancers at least 3 years before you feel any lump or notice any changes or symptoms on the breast.

Asfor the mammogram, it is a breast image similar to an X-ray, and its procedure does not cause you any health problems or damage, as the percentage of radiation you are exposed to during the examination is very small.

Protect Your future now! Book an appointment at the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital for a mammogram, one of the department equipped with the best modern technologies to detect cancer in the early stages and provide comprehensive medical support for you and your loved ones.

2-   Find out if you have factors that increase your chance of developing breast cancer

You May have to start a mammogram from an earlier age (from the age of thirty) in some cases, consult your doctor to assess your risk of breast cancer and see if this applies to you in the following cases:

• Having a family history of breast cancer: if you have a family history indicating the presence of first-or second-degree relatives with breast cancer,you should consider consulting your doctor to assess the severity of yourinjury, especially if the relative is of the first degree, more than one of the relatives has the disease, or one of them has the disease at a young age (under50), in these cases it is likely that you have a genetic predisposition to the disease, and the doctor should assess the matter thoroughly.
• Exposure To radiation therapy in the chest area at a young age (at the age of 10-30 years).

3-   Detect symptoms: regular breast self-examination

Itis important to know the symptoms of breast cancer in order to be able to distinguish them when doing a breast self-examination. Self-examination is important to be aware of The Shape of your normal breast and notice any unusual changes, start doing it regularly starting at the age of twenty, but remember that this self-examination never replaces the mammogram examination starting at the age of forty, because breast cancer is not accompanied by any symptoms in the early stages mostly.

Andas for the symptoms that you should look for during a self-examination, theyare as follows:

• Ahard, painless lump in the breast or underarm that does not disappear.
• Swelling Under the armpit due to swollen lymph nodes and you may feel like a lump under the armpit.
• A Change in the size of one or both breasts.
• Changesin the texture and shape of the normal breast such as: redness, flaking of the skin, rash.
• Changes In the nipple as its reflection.
• Itchy Or flaky skin in the area around the nipple.
• Unusual Discharge, which may be bloody, comes out of the nipple.
• Pain In the breast in some rare cases.

Doa regular breast self-examination several days after the end of menstruation,during and before menstruation your breasts will be swollen and very sensitive.

One last word

• Breast Cancer affects one in 8 women around the world, and it is the most common typeof cancer among women, so dedication to early detection procedures and periodicconsultation with doctors are not just medical procedures but an investment inyour healthy future and psychological comfort. 
• Some things help to prevent breast cancer such as: maintaining an ideal weight, eating lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, exercising,quitting smoking, and practicing breastfeeding if possible.

Raising Awareness of breast cancer, its symptoms and the importance of early detection plays an important role in preventing you from developing cancer and makingtreatment more effective and simple.