Detecting breast cancer early: Why is palpating the breast not enough?

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October is International Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise public awareness of the disease. French singer Carla Bruni (55), wife of former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy (68), uses this moment to talk about her breast cancer diagnosis four years ago.

According to current figures from the National Cancer Registry Office, 6,500 women develop breast cancer every year in Switzerland. As a result, 1,400 people lose their lives. It is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer death. One in ten women with breast cancer in Switzerland already have metastases when diagnosed. Therefore, it is important to detect breast cancer as early as possible.

Don’t just trust the gynecologist

One option is self-examination. Many women discover breast cancer while soaping up or applying lotion in the shower. As part of Pink Ribbon’s prevention campaigns, it is recommended, among other things, to check your breasts after your menstrual period, that is, once a month. At this point it is soft and the knots are easier to feel. Palpation is part of the standard gynecological examination performed by a gynecologist. But this usually only happens once a year.

“But you shouldn’t drive yourself crazy,” Ulrike Knödelstorfer, a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics who runs her own practice at Sursee LU, said in an earlier interview with Blick. “There is not always a malignant disease behind a disorder.” Conversely, palpation of the breast can also provide a false sense of security because the disease cannot always be felt. “Especially if the breast cancer is still very small and hasn’t arisen close to the skin, you can’t feel it.”

Mammography is the only known method

Small or deep-seated tumors are usually discovered only with a breast X-ray, i.e. mammography. This screening is the only method considered effective in the early detection of breast cancer in women over 50 years of age. Since the risk increases rapidly in women between the ages of 50 and 70, women in this age range should have a mammogram every two years. In young women, there is no point in screening as a precaution, as breast tissue is very dense at a young age and x-rays cannot be interpreted clearly.

If there is a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, the recommendation for an examination every two years is also valid for women over the age of 50. The Cancer Society recommends that young women at high risk of cancer seek medical advice where the procedure can be discussed.

Source : Blick