How to Check for Lumps in the Breast
Disease description:
I heard that my best friend found a lump in her breast and has been experiencing pain for a long time. She's been telling me that she's been feeling uncomfortable, so I would like to learn how to examine the breast for lumps.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
Check for breast lumps through the following steps:
1. Self-examination: On a fixed day of each menstrual cycle (such as one week after the menstrual cycle), lie down and palpate both breasts in a fixed order to check for any abnormal lumps or nodules.
2. Visual inspection: Observe whether the shape and size of both breasts are symmetrical, and check for any abnormal appearances such as redness, swelling, or indentation.
3. Palpation: A professional physical examination performed by a doctor to assess the size, hardness, clarity of borders, mobility, and presence of tenderness of any lumps, in order to preliminarily determine the nature of the lump.
4. Imaging examinations: Such as breast ultrasound and mammography, which can further clarify the location, size, shape, and nature of the lump. Breast ultrasound is more effective in detecting cystic lesions, while mammography is more sensitive for lumps with obvious calcifications.
5. Pathological examination: For suspected malignant lumps, pathological examinations such as needle biopsy can be used to determine their nature.
These examination methods should be performed under the guidance of a doctor.
