After treatment for breast cancer, it is especially important for a woman to
continue to do a monthly breast examination. Regular examinations will help you
detect local recurrences. Early signs of recurrence can be noted in the incision
area itself, the opposite breast, the axilla (armpit), or supraclavicular
region (above the collar bone).
Maintaining your follow-up schedule with your physician is also necessary so
problems can be detected when treatment can be most effective. Your health care
provider will also be able to answer any questions you may have about breast
self-examination after the following procedures.
After surgery
The incision line (scar)
may be thick, raised, red and possibly tender for several months after surgery.
Remember to examine the entire incision line.
If there is redness in areas away from the scar, contact your physician. It
is not unusual to experience brief discomforts and sensations in the breast or
nipple area (even if the nipple has been removed).
At first, you may not know how to interpret what you feel, but soon you will
become familiar with what is now normal for you.
After breast reconstruction
Following
breast reconstruction, breast examination for the reconstructed breast is done
exactly the same way as for the natural breast. If an implant was used for the
reconstruction, press firmly inward at the edges of the implant to feel the
ribs beneath. If your own tissue was used for the reconstruction, understand
that you may feel some numbness and tightness in your breast. In time, some
feeling in your breasts may return.
After radiation therapy
After
radiation therapy, you may notice some changes in the breast tissue. The breast
may look red or sunburned and may become irritated or inflamed. Once therapy is
stopped, the redness will disappear and the breast will become less inflamed or
irritated. At times, the skin can become more inflamed for a few days after
treatment and then gradually improve after a few weeks. The pores in the skin
over the breast also may become larger than usual.
Some women have different sensations in the breast because of changes in skin
sensitivity. You may feel numbness or tingling in the breast, or feel that the
breast is more sensitive to clothing or tight garments. After radiation therapy,
the breast may become smaller. Normally within a year after radiation therapy,
most of the changes will improve.
During radiation therapy, you should continue with monthly self-examinations
of the radiated breast as well as the other breast. If you notice any new
developments, call your health care provider.
What to do
By immediately reporting
any suspicious changes to your physician, you will not only receive early
treatment if necessary, but you will also resolve your own fear and anxiety.
Most breast lumps (about 80 percent) are benign. However, your self-examination
may lead you to the early detection of a new or recurrent cancer. The earlier
the diagnosis, the better the chances for successful therapy.