Breast Screening is used to analyze the abnormal behavior of cells in normal women. Sometimes, these symptoms of breast cancer go unnoticed and hence it is advised that all those women who have crossed the age of 30-35 should undergo breast screening to ensure that there is none of the cancerous behavior and if there is any, then it would be diagnosed at an early stage.
There are a number of breast screening tests that have been used for breast screening. Some of them are:
Self / clinical breast screening: This is a method in which you can self examine your breasts to ensure that there is no formation of lumps or anything suspicious, which might lead to breast cancer.
In various clinics there are lady doctors employed who’ll also check the same by manual methods.
However, it was proven in a survey that the clinical or the self methods of breast screening is not reliable and can lead to cancers at stages where they would be really difficult to solve.
Mammography screening: In this method, a machine is used to see if there is any abnormal growth of cells in the breast tissues.
Mammography also leads to a series of controversies as the Cochrane collaboration proved that it is not a reliable method since it causes more harm to the breast tissues rather than helping to diagnose the cancerous cells.
Hence, it is advised that this test has to be carried out for women in the age group of 50 to 74. In digital mammography, you’ll get a much detailed report but there are always chances that the reports could be erroneous because of some technical problems in the machine.
Ultrasound screening: This type of breast screening is a non invasive method in which a machine like the Doppler screening machine is used to determine the internal movements as well as formation of growing cells leading to cancer. If the result is positive then the doctor might even suggest a biopsy to be done.
In this type of breast screening, a small lump of apprehensive set of cells is removed and is tested under microscope. The ultrasound technique is combined with this to help in getting a proper result. This is by far a reliable technique for detecting breast cancer and its stages.
Genetic screening: Women that have a family history of breast cancer can have disastrous effects on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. This may lead to cancer and hence these females should personally pay attention and get themselves tested through genetic breast screening methods to find if they have acquired the disease as well.
Magnetic resonance imaging: This is an imaging technique and is known as MRI. In this type of imaging a color contrast is created between different varied tissues of the breast to ensure that there is no abnormal growth of cells. This is the latest technique in breast cancer screening and is a very effective one.
Breast screening serves as your protection against the dreaded breast cancer. Consult your doctor with regard to the right method for you as screening varies from one woman to another.
