About Breast Cancer

Breast Self Examination

Look

Laying Down

Touch

While standing up, look at both breasts, including the nipples. Look with arms beside your body resting on your side and legs. Look with both hands on your hips, and look with both hands behind your head.

Touch

Laying Down

Touch

Raise your left arm and use 3 to 4 fingers on your right hand to examine your left breast, and then repeat by raising the right arm. Touch in the lines up and down your breast from the outside to inside. Touch inside the circles around your breast. Touch in the wedges starting from the outside towards your nipples and back again.

Laying Down

Seek a doctor

Lay down on your back with your left arm over your head and a pillow under your left shoulder. Examine your left breast with your right hand and then repeat the steps with your right side. Place your left hand on your waist. With your right hand to see if you feel enlarged lymph nodes in the left underarm area and around your little collarbone.

Seek a doctor

When to do Self Examination

Seek a doctor

If you see or feel anything that is not normal or you have questions, seek medical attention or contact your doctor.

When to do Self Examination

The best time to do a monthly breast self-exam is about 3 to 5 days after your period starts. Do it at the same time every month. If you have gone through menopause, do your exam on the same day every month.

Mammograms

When to do Self Examination

While Breast self-examinations are recommended monthly, a mammogram is recommended yearly for women ages 40 and up. However, if you see or feel anything that is not normal contact your doctor because a mammogram can be done as necessary.

Schedule your Annual Mammogram

A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. Mammograms allow doctors to look for and detect signs of breast cancer. Early detection saves lives.

1 in 8 Women

About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. By age 40, the risk is roughly 1 in 65. By age 60, the chance increases to 1 in 28.

Number of Breast Cancer Diagnoses

In the United States, study show that there are about 264,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women and about 2,400 in men yearly. About 42,000 women and 500 men in the U.S. die each year from breast cancer with black women having a higher rate of death.

Talk to your Doctor

If you have questions or concerns about your body, don't be afraid to seek medical advise. Talk to your doctor.

Breast Cancer FACTS

Mammograms

Mammograms are an important part of looking for checking the breasts for signs of Breast Cancer. A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer. Early detection saves lives.

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer is a Cancer that develops in the breast cells. It is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. There are different types and stages of breast cancer.

Breast Ultra Sound

A breast ultrasound is most often done to find out if a problem found by a mammogram or a physical exam of the breast could be a cyst or tumor.

Breast Biopsy

A breast biopsy is the only way to find out for sure if you have breast cancer. During a biopsy, a doctor will either use a hollow needle or an incision in your breast to remove small pieces from the suspicious area to be taken to lab to determine if it contains cancer cells. Many times, a chip is placed in the suspected area to reference where the area was seen.

Stages of Breast Cancer

0 Abnormal Cells are present but have not spread to nearby tissue.

I Early Stage: Cancer has spread to other tissue in a small area.

II Localized: Tumor is between 20 - 50 mm with no lymph nodes involved.

III Regional Spread: Tumor is larger than 50 mm with more lymph nodes involved across a wider area.

IV Distant Spread: Cancer has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy used for breast cancer to target and destroy breast cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be injected directly into a vein through a needle or taken by mouth as pills.

Surgery

There are two main types of breast cancer surgery. Breast-Conserving Surgery and Mastectomy.

Breast-Conserving Surgery (also called a lumpectomy, quadrantectomy, partial mastectomy, or segmental mastectomy) is a surgery in which only the part of the breast containing the cancer is removed. The goal is to remove the cancer as well as some surrounding normal tissue.
Mastectomy is a surgery in which the entire breast is removed, including all of the breast tissue and sometimes other nearby tissues.

Journey

Every woman Breast Cancer journey is different. We encourage you to write in a personal journal about your experience. It may help you on your doctor appointment, it may help you in day to day living, and/or it may help you be able to help someone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at icarewyou@icarewyou.org if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Will I feel a lump?

Yes, if there is a lump present, you can feel it. However, there are other signs of breast cancer other than a lump. Symptoms can include by not limited to redness or rash, swelling or discoloration of breast discharge in nipples, constant pain, and/or a change in breast size. Be sure to check with your doctor if any of these symptoms exist.

Does a mammogram hurt?

Yes, you may feel minor pain or discomfort during of after mammogram. There is pressure applied to the breast for 10 - 15 seconds for each image. Every individual is different, therefore depending on breast size and positioning, it is possible to feel some pain.

Will I lose my hair with chemotherapy?

Yes, chemotherapy may cause hair loss over your entire body, not necessarily the scalp. The level of hair loss depends on the type of cancer and specific medications used for your particular treatment schedule.

Breast Cancer Facts and Resources

Breast cancer screening & Early Detection

Breast cancer screening and early detection can help detect breast cancer at an early stage.

Breast Self Examination

Look

Laying Down

Touch

Touch

Laying Down

Touch

Laying Down

Laying Down

Seek a doctor

Seek a doctor

When to do Self Examination

Seek a doctor

When to do Self Examination

When to do Self Examination

When to do Self Examination

Mammograms

When to do Self Examination

When to do Self Examination

Schedule your Annual Mammogram

1 in 8 Women

Number of Breast Cancer Diagnoses

Talk to your Doctor

Breast Cancer FACTS

Mammograms

Breast Cancer

Breast Ultra Sound

Breast Biopsy

Stages of Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy

Surgery

Journey

RESOURCES and recomendations

National Breast Cancer

National Breast Cancer

National Breast Cancer

American Cancer Society

National Breast Cancer

National Breast Cancer

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Southern Cancer Center

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Frequently Asked Questions

Disclosure

This website uses cookies.