What is BSE – BREAST SELF EXAMINATION
This is a self-examination of the breasts to be done by a woman herself in the comfort of her own home.
It should be done by all women after the age of 20 regularly, every month.
By doing so, a woman can keep a check on her Breast Health and take steps if any change is discovered.
Why is BSE important?
Statistics show that 8 out of 10 breast lumps are found by women themselves.
BSE empowers women to take their own 'Breast Health' in hand.
By doing regular BSE they can catch the cancer early if it does occur.
Breast cancer treatment is effective and life expectancy is high when picked up in the early stages. Early Diagnosis can lead to 100% 5year survival.
Why is Breast Cancer important?
Breast cancer is the largest killer cancer in India and in the world in women.
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1 in 28 women are affected by breast cancer at some stage in their lives.
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Increasing incidence in younger age groups, beginning at age 20.
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No vaccine has been discovered, no prevention method has been found.
In developed countries with increased awareness created over the past 60 years, the scenario is slightly better with lesser deaths as it has led to earlier diagnosis, more effective treatment with lesser side effects and longer life spans.
In India, awareness of breast cancer is still not widespread.
Women are clueless and usually ignore the lump, because
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In the early stages it is usually painless
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Family responsibilities, work responsibilities are prioritized
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it is a bit of an embarrassment to approach a doctor.
Therefore, the cancer is often detected at a later stage. This leads to increased mortality and morbidity.
BSE is done primarily for early self detection of any breast lesion which could potentially be cancerous.
This could be a lump in the breast or in the armpit, a change in appearance of the skin or nipple, discharge from the nipple - essentially any change in the normal appearance of the breast.
Often there is no pain or discomfort in the initial stages. Thus we tend to postpone taking care of it. This is what is we must NOT do!
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Discovering any change on regular BSE is only useful if we follow it up with adequate next steps.
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Visit your doctor as soon as possible
If necessary
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Mammogram
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Sonography of Breast
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Biopsy
If not indicated-
breathe a sigh of relief,
go home and relax!
But do not ignore yourself!
Do not put your 'Breast health' on the backburner.
Continue with regular BSE!
Guidelines to help detect Breast Cancer early
Education: Create awareness among women about Early Signs and how to detect them.
Practice Regular BSE: From age 20 regularly every month.
Clinical Breast Examination: Every year beginning at age 20.
It should be performed by a doctor or a trained nurse.
Mammogram: After age 45 every year or every second year depending on family history and risk factors.
This is because though it is a highly sensitive test it also has a risk of radiation.
Most lumps will not be cancerous ( 80%).
Only 20% will be cancer.
But are you willing to take that risk?
Suppose you arel in the 20%?
So begin taking care of yourself now!
Our Role
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To provide information in a simple, clear manner about BSE & Breast Health.
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Help Healthy women keep a watch on their Breast Health.
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Going forward, we would like to help patients and survivors in their fight against Breast Cancer.
To access our talks visit our Youtube channel here