Dr Anu Aurora (General Practitioner) has been a health consultant at Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai, for 12 years. She possesses a 35-year long experience of working as a full-fledged general practitioner. She is considered the go-to doctor, who is efficient in dealing with patients explicitly suffering from different Breast Cancer types. Dr Aurora is also a motivational speaker who has initiated several awareness programs with mainstream discussions on breast and Cervical Cancer.

How to do a self-examination for breast cancer?

La prima cosa che le donne devono vedere è che devono essere molto caute riguardo all'esame del seno. Di solito, il cancro al seno si vede all'età di 35 o 40 anni, ma di questi tempi chiediamo sempre alle ragazze di iniziare l'autoesame del seno perché vediamo anche il cancro in una fase iniziale.

Il cancro al seno è una delle forme più comuni di cancro. Ogni ragazza di età superiore ai 20 anni dovrebbe sottoporsi a un esame del seno per lo screening del cancro al seno, e anche gli uomini dovrebbero imparare a farlo in modo da poterlo insegnare alle donne nella loro casa. Anche agli uomini può essere diagnosticato il cancro al seno.

• Stand in front of the mirror (on the seventh day of menses) and see the position of breasts, size, shape, and nipples because you know your body best. Many ladies have one breast bigger than the other, which is normal. If there is any change in the size or shape of the nipple or breast, you should consult your family doctor. This examination is many times life-saving as it could be Breast Cancer.
• When you stand in front of the mirror, see the skin for changes; if the skin colour has changed, do you have redness, or if one nipple is pulled up or to the side. Notice if you have nipple crusting, and see the symmetry of the breast too.
• Raise your hands and see if you find any changes in the breast. The breast should rise evenly and watch for dimpling or retraction. You should also see if there is any swelling on the armpits.
• When you examine the right breast, you should raise your right hand and check it with the left hand; never use the same hand on the same side because you will never be able to examine for Breast Cancer properly. We need to see the armpit too because the lump can come to the armpit also. You have to feel the tissues with a flat hand.
• Use the middle portion of the fingers to examine your breast. Go round the breast and find out if there is any lump, whether a hard lump or a soft lump, which was not there last month.
• Lavora intorno al seno in senso orario usando piccoli cerchi della mano mentre procedi e assicurati che l'intero seno sia controllato.
• The breast extends to the armpit, called the axillary tail. So, you have to go to the axilla portion, use the same circular motion, and feel for breast lumps and lymph nodes. Normal lymph nodes cannot be felt, but enlarged lymph nodes, which are about the size of a pencil eraser, can be felt easily.
• A nipple- discharge is a significant finding. Strip the duct towards the nipple. Usually, you will see one or two drops of clear milky discharge, but milk will come out only when you are feeding the baby, or if you are pregnant. If you have a bloody discharge, you have to consult a histopathologist so that they can test the blood sample to find if it is cancer or not. If the discharge is in large quantity, squirting out or if there is a stain inside of a bra, you should take it seriously.

Every month women should examine for Breast Cancer on the eighth day after the menses, and menopausal women should do it on the first day of the month. If you do it regularly, you will come to know the changes in breasts and nipples regularly. If Breast Cancer is detected early, doctors go only for lumpectomy and save the breast, but if the lump becomes big, then they have to remove the breast. So, do a self-examination every month, and if there are any findings, please go to your local doctor or a gynaecologist without fail.

Dovresti esaminare il seno in tre modi:

• Esame fisico
• Mano destra sul seno sinistro e mano sinistra sul seno destro, attorno al seno e al capezzolo.
• In posizione sdraiata, con lo stesso procedimento.

Don't panic if you find something, because in most cases, it is Fibroadenoma, which is benign. So, the doctor will ask you to go for sonography, and mammography and will keep you on annual check-ups because those are essential. After the age of 45, we usually advise mammography. If there is no family history of breast cancer, you can do it once every two years, but if there is a family history, then you should go for a check-up every year.

Does wearing a tight or black colour bra lead to breast cancer?

It is a myth that wearing a black bra leads to cancer. The bra should not be tight; girls should wear a fitted bra. The bra's size should be adequately checked because wearing a tight bra can make girls uncomfortable and give them Pain sensations in the neck.

There is no scientific finding that clothing affects cancer. Still, the wrong material or wrong-fitting undergarments can cause skin problems and other issues, so girls should wear materials that give the breasts space to breathe. Underwire can be worn, but it should be well supported, and the wire should not come out and poke the girl. Cotton bras are better than nylon bras because the latter can cause skin allergies.

Quanto è importante la diagnosi precoce e come possiamo enfatizzarla di più?

La diagnosi precoce del cancro al seno fa molta differenza nella parte del trattamento. Le donne devono essere consapevoli che se sentono qualcosa che non va, dovrebbero andare dal medico e farsi controllare. Tutti i grumi non sono cancerosi, quindi non devono farsi prendere dal panico, ma dovrebbero essere consapevoli. Dovrebbero sottoporsi ad ecografia o mammografia. Supponiamo che il nodulo sia piccolo e rilevato precocemente. In tal caso, il seno non viene rimosso e con la biopsia viene rimosso solo il nodulo. Tali casi non presenteranno deformità fisiche e potrebbero non essere necessarie nemmeno le radiazioni e la chemioterapia. La diagnosi precoce rende il trattamento breve e il paziente può stare tranquillo.

Stimmi e miti legati al cancro al seno

Stigmi e miti legati al cancro sono molto popolari, soprattutto nei villaggi, poiché non sono a conoscenza della malattia. Gli abitanti del villaggio credono ancora che ammalarsi di cancro significhi ottenere un biglietto per il paradiso. Pensano persino che il cancro sia contagioso. Dobbiamo fornire maggiore consapevolezza parlando con loro. In particolare, il caregiver e i familiari possono parlare con gli abitanti del villaggio e fornire le giuste informazioni sulla malattia.

Quale pensi sia la ragione per cui le ragazze si ammalano di cancro al seno?

The main reasons are lifestyle habits; less body activity, eating junk food, Alcohol consumption, and sometimes family history. Sometimes it's without any reason, and suddenly out of the blue, girls can find a lump but then again, early detection is essential. Early detection can save the patient from a mastectomy. Every time, it need not be a malignant tumour, it can also be a benign tumour, which is removed if it is big otherwise the patients are kept under observation, and we just ask for regular check-ups. But early detection is only possible if women regularly do self-examination, so self-examination plays a vital role.

Qual è il tuo consiglio sull'abbigliamento giusto da indossare in relazione al cancro al seno?

As long as the undergarments are perfect, it doesn't matter what you wear on top. The clothes you wear don't matter much. Bras should be such that the breasts can breathe comfortably. Research hasn't found any link between tight-fitted dress and cancer, but it can cause other problems such as skin rashes and infections. But if they are comfortable, they can wear anything with the perfect undergarments.

Le pazienti con cancro al seno possono concepire dopo il trattamento?

I pazienti con cancro al seno possono generalmente concepire dopo il trattamento. Hanno un limite di tempo specifico che dopo un certo numero di anni possono concepire. L'oncologo li guiderà correttamente su come deve essere fatto.

Watch the parts of the interview on the links below:

1. Self Breast Examination

2. Advice about tight or black-colored undergarments

3. Rising Breast Cancer trend among young females

4. Advice on the right clothing to wear