Breast cancer remains one of the leading killers of women in the twentieth century. This is a disease that can have various causes but the leading cause for the disease remains the genetic predisposition to it. It can be said that if a woman's family has a history of the disease then it is quite likely that she is predisposed to it as well. What makes things worse is that a woman's body will go through so many changes because of her hormonal constitution during pregnancy and menstruation. The genes that are responsible for breast cancer and cervical disease are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
It is for this reason that a procedure was widely propagated since the early part of the century called the Breast Self Exam or BSE. This is a controversial procedure because many people now believe that it results in more worry, than actual detection. The main problem lies in the fact that many women tend to get more worried about breast cancer than they should and as a result biopsies and elaborate screenings follow that will just cause more damage to breast tissue that was perfectly normal. The BSE is conducted in the following way; fundamentally, a woman has to check by gently pressing the breast in various poses for lumps or irregularities. The first step is to stand in front of the mirror and inspect the breasts for any lumps and red inflammations. Next, with the hands on the hips, the inspection must be done again. After that, the same procedure is repeated with the hands held up high. Next, comes the palpation: here the woman has to run her hand over every inch of her breast checking for lumps and soreness. Women who are not breast feeding should then gently squeeze the nipple to check for any discharge. Finally, palpation has to be repeated while lying down.
If any of these palpations end up in some kind of a positive result, the next stage is to visit a doctor and get a mammogram done. Mammograms are also implicated in a lot of false positives. Typically, if the doctor feels that, considering the patient's history, there is a need for genetic testing, this is prescribed. Biopsies may also be prescribed to be absolutely sure. Recently, the advent of MRI has changed breast examinations for cancer tremendously. These guarantee a more definite diagnosis though it is a more expensive procedure, it is also non-invasive.
Author Resource:-
Kevin Pederson is the chief contributor of content for http://www.medicalhealthtests.com, an authoritative source for information on medical tests. The articles are not only informative and insightful, but they are also simple and intelligible. This makes them a reliable resource for anyone seeking information on medical tests.
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