Dr Michelle O'Driscoll: The importance of checking your breasts

HERE in Ireland, it has been found that one in nine women, or one in a thousand men, will develop breast cancer in the course of their lifetime, with 3,700 new cases diagnosed every year.

Early detection is key to a good outcome, but a 2022 survey of Irish women over the age of 18 by Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI) found that only 34% of respondents checked their breasts for cancer on a monthly basis.

This was an increase on the 26% reported before their MakeTime2Check educational campaign, but still left a lot of work to be done on awareness and education, which many have been working towards since, particularly via social media.

The BCI research also found that 30%of women who don’t check their own breasts were unsure regarding the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

Meanwhile, just under 20% were unsure how to properly perform a self-breast check. A smaller number believed that only a health care professional could check this for you, but this, importantly, is not the case.

So how do you perform this check yourself?

The HSE provides a clear guide with illustrations on their website which outlines the following steps:

• Step 1 – Visual check. Stand in front of the mirror, with clothing removed from the breasts, and hands on both hips, shoulders straight.
• Step 2 – Visual check with raised arms. Raise your arms to further check for any changes in appearance, especially
• Step 3 – Check by touch. Check each breast with the opposite hand. Hold your fingers together flat, and, using a small circular motion, move across the whole breast from top to bottom and side to side. Move from your collarbone to the top of the tummy, and from the armpit to the cleavage. This can be done while lying on your back, or in the shower.

What am I looking for?

We typically think of a lump, but it can be other signs or symptoms also.

Throughout this checking process, you should be watching out for any of the following changes:

• A lump or thickening in the breast or armpit
• A change in size or shape of your breast such as one breast becoming larger than the other, or one nipple appearing lower than the other
• A change in the skin of your breast, such as puckering, ridges or dimpling or redness
• A breast abscess or boil appearing as a red, tender area
• A nipple becoming pulled in, sunken or flat.
• An unusual discharge from one or both of your nipples which may be blood stained or watery.
• A rash or flaky or crusted skin on or around the nipple
• Swelling in your armpit or around your collarbone
• Any soreness or warmth.

While these things may not end up being breast cancer, they’re important to note and flag early for further investigation.

Also, doing this check regularly ensures that you know what your normal is – making it much easier to spot a suspicious change should it occur at a later stage.

Screening is a free process offered by BreastCheck to all women between the ages of 50 and 69, every two years.

This is important to attend, and in addition the above self-check in between screening appointments and for women of all ages monthly is an important health habit.

Pick a day of the month and check!

About the author 

Dr Michelle O’Driscoll is a pharmacist, re searcher and founder of InTuition, a health and wellness education company. Her research lies in the area of mental health education, and through InTuition she delivers health promotion workshops to corporate and academic organisations nationally.