Don’t assume you have breast cancer because you have a lump!!! If you feel a breast lump, follow the following steps:

• DON’T GOOGLE!!! Dr Google can trigger panic attacks and worsen the situation
• Conduct a thorough BSE: Breast Self- Examination for yourself. For guidance on how to conduct a proper breast exam, please click here.
• CBE: Clinical Breast Examination - call your doctor and fix an appointment as soon as possible. DO NOT IGNORE. DO NOT DELAY.

1. A complete clinical history is taken and your risk factors are assessed.
2. High Risk group includes:

• Age of menarche (start of periods) - < 12 years
• Age of menopause (end of periods) - > 55 years
• Age when the first child was born alive - > 30 years
• Benign breast disease
• Family history of breast or ovarian cancer (first-degree relative affected before the age of 45 years)
• BRCA gene positive
• No breastfeeding done
• Obesity (postmenopausal)
• History of high radiation dose given to the chest
• Personal history of ovarian/breast cancer
• On hormonal therapy (estrogen)

3. The doctor then examines the lump you felt and follow it up by ultrasound or sonomammography
4. After the scan is done, within 10-15 mins your report is released mentioning your BI-RADS score.
5. The Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI RADS) score system, was developed by the American College of Radiology to standardize the mammography report worldwide. It’s the grading you are given in your breast ultrasound and mammography report and depending on the BIRADS your next treatment or follow up is decided.

- AGE < 40 YEARS (not high risk): Annual Ultrasound is usually recommended. Mammography does not show much in this age group as the breasts are usually very dense (whiter) and so small masses or calcifications can be obscured. If high risk, then annual mammogram alonG with ultrasound breast (sonomammography).

- AGE > 40 YEARS: Annual sonomammography for every women whether high risk or not and depending on the BIRADS score in the report, further follow up is suggested.