Examinations and tests to diagnose breast cancer

Examination or breast self-test through BSE is very important to do to detect cancer early. Moreover, breast cancer often does not cause symptoms, especially at an early stage. By detecting cancer early, breast cancer treatment will be more effective and the possibility of a cure is still very large.

However, doing BSE alone is not enough to diagnose breast cancer. Then, what types of breast cancer screening tests are usually done?

Breast cancer screening options

If after BSE you find a lump in the breast or other symptoms of breast cancer, you need to do an examination at the hospital to determine the cause of the symptom. While in the hospital, the doctor will generally perform several methods or tests to check and find out whether the condition you are experiencing is related to breast cancer or not.

If cancer is diagnosed, additional tests are needed to determine the stage of breast cancer that you are experiencing, so that treatment will be more appropriate.

Here are various ways or tests to check for and diagnose breast cancer that doctors usually do:

1. Clinical breast examination

Before examining your condition with the help of a medical instrument, the doctor will first examine the breasts with bare hands. This test is called a clinical breast exam (SADANIS) to look at the shape, size, color and texture of the breasts to detect possible cancer.

When performing this examination, the doctor or nurse will usually feel the breast systematically in a circular motion to detect the location of the lump around the breast.

In addition to examining around the breasts, the doctor will also look at the lymph nodes in the armpits and above the collarbone. If there is swelling or lumps, the doctor will carry out further tests with other tests.

2. Mammography

Mammography (mammography) is a test to diagnose the presence of breast cancer, both in women who have or without symptoms. Mammography examinations can often detect the presence of a breast cancer lump when it is small and cannot be felt to the touch.

Mammography is done by taking X-rays of the tissue of each breast. When a mammogram (the result of a mammography image) shows that there are different areas of the breast, the doctor will perform further tests. The reason is, mammography alone is not enough to confirm whether the abnormal tissue is cancerous or not.

Mammography examination can be done even if you don't have any complaints regarding breasts. In fact, this test is recommended for women who have entered old age, as a way to detect breast cancer early.

3. Breast ultrasound

Ultrasound (ultrasound) of the breast or ultrasound of the breast is a test for cancer screening with the help of sound waves that displays an image on a computer screen.

A breast ultrasound can detect changes in the breast, such as lumps or tissue changes. In addition, breast ultrasound can also distinguish between lumps filled with breast cysts or fluid and solid masses that may be a precursor to cancer.

4. MRI of the breast

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast is a test for breast cancer using magnets and radio waves. The combination of the two will produce an image of the entire breast and show the soft tissue very clearly.

MRI examinations are generally performed after a person is diagnosed with breast cancer. The goal is to determine the size of the cancer and look for other possible tumors in the breast.

However, breast MRI is also often performed to detect cancer, especially in women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer. Women who fall into this group usually have a family history or heredity with breast cancer.

In this group of women, MRI screening is usually done in conjunction with annual mammographies. If the MRI is done alone, it is likely that there will be some missed cancer findings that only mammography can find.

Always consult with your doctor about how to check for and recognize breast cancer that is right, according to your condition.

5. Biopsy

A breast biopsy is performed when a physical examination, mammography, or other imaging test shows changes in the breast that are suspected to be cancer cells.

This test procedure is done by taking a tissue sample that is suspected of having cancer cells in it. This sample will then be examined in the laboratory, under a microscope, to see its characteristics. It is from the examination under a microscope that the presence of cancerous cell tissue can be identified.

In medical science, there are four types of biopsy that are commonly performed to check for breast cancer. Here are four types of biopsy examinations for breast cancer:

• Fine-needle aspiration biopsy
• Core needle biopsy
• Surgical biopsy
• Lymph nodes biopsy

Of the many breast cancer screening procedures, the doctor will only choose which one is most suitable for you. Your doctor may also ask you to do tests to detect other breast cancers, such as a ductogram, especially if you experience symptoms of nipple discharge.

Ask further about what tests you need to take according to your condition, along with the benefits and side effects that you might feel.

Factors that complicate breast cancer screening tests

There are several factors that make it difficult for doctors to detect and diagnose breast cancer. This condition is generally caused by a certain patient's condition, so that sometimes new cancer cells can be found when the condition is severe enough.

1. Obesity

According to a study published in the journal Arch Intern Med, obese women are 20 percent more at risk of being misdiagnosed when undergoing mammography than women of normal weight. This is presumably because the breast size of obese women is larger, making it more complicated to detect the presence of tumors.

However, this can also be because tumors in obese people are growing at a very fast rate. As a result of these factors, obese women tend to be detected breast cancer tumors when they are bigger than women whose body mass index is classified as healthy.

2. Dense breasts

The American Cancer Society said that dense breast tissue also makes it difficult for radiologists to detect breast cancer. On a mammogram, dense breast tissue appears white and breast tumors also appear white, so the dense tissue can hide the tumor.

Thus, mammogram results can be less accurate in women with this condition.

However, for obese women with dense breast tissue, breast cancer screening, including mammography, is still important. Talk to your doctor about the right breast cancer test.

How long does it take for breast cancer screening test results to come out?

The stages of breast cancer diagnosis are indeed long. Doctors need these tests to get accurate results, so that the treatment given to you will be more effective.

Typically, breast cancer screening or detection results, such as mammography or breast ultrasound, will be available to you within two weeks of the procedure. If the results are negative for cancer, you may still need to have breast cancer screened again three years later.

This needs to be done to re-detect whether there is cancer cell growth afterwards.

If the results are suspected of being cancerous cells, the doctor may ask you to perform further tests, such as a breast MRI or biopsy, as described above. Usually, you can receive the biopsy results a few days or a week after the test is done.

However, it all comes back to each hospital, where you do the test. If after two weeks of screening results or one week of biopsy results do not come out, do not hesitate to ask the doctor who examined you directly.

What to do while waiting for the results of breast cancer screening?

Waiting for the test results and diagnosis of breast cancer for a long time can indeed be a burden on your mind. When this happens, you should do positive things that can reduce the stress or burden on your thoughts, while waiting for the test results to come out.

Do whatever is fun for you, but still healthy for your body, such as exercising, taking walks, relaxing your mind with meditation, yoga, or indulging in healthy foods. Get used to adopting a healthy lifestyle, because a bad lifestyle is one of the causes of breast cancer.

You can also seek support from other people, such as family, close friends, or others in the same situation. This method can calm your mind or exchange information about this disease.

A healthy lifestyle needs to be continued even though the results of your breast cancer diagnosis show negative results. The reason is, with a healthy lifestyle, you can prevent breast cancer from occurring in the future.

What should be done if the diagnosis is positive for breast cancer?

You may feel frightened and worried when your breast cancer examination and diagnosis comes back positive. This is normal, but don't take too long and instead focus on your medication.

However, if the fear does not go away, you can overcome the fear after a breast cancer diagnosis by finding a doctor with whom you are most comfortable to communicate with and recognize and trust that the doctor can help deal with your disease.

Also protect yourself from negative stories so as not to stress you out. However, if you are anxious, stressed, depressed, even causing sleep disturbances, consult your doctor about dealing with the problem. Instead, do positive things that are beneficial to your health.

You also need to involve and discuss with your partner in the process of diagnosis, examination, and treatment of breast cancer. Communicate with your partner and try to strengthen each other so that you and your partner are better prepared for it.

Also explain to your partner about your needs, including if you need help doing homework. However, you should also ask what your partner's needs are, as he or she has been focusing on your treatment and recovery during this time.

When talking about this, don't forget to spend time alone with your partner. However, it's not just about cancer, you and your partner also need to have time together to talk about other things, including all the things you and your partner think and feel.

Apart from yourself, your partner, and your family, you may need to talk about a breast cancer diagnosis with your boss or coworkers at work. However, this is not a must, especially if your condition does not interfere with work.

If you do have to tell co-workers at work, create a comfortable conversation atmosphere. Don't be afraid to ask for help and understanding from colleagues and discuss the possibilities that will happen to your appearance during the treatment process.