Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.
Here's what you should look for:
Breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color.
Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling.
If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor's attention:
Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin.
A nipple that has changed position or become inverted (pushed inward instead of sticking out).
Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling.
Raise your arms and look for the same changes.
While you're at the mirror, gently squeeze each nipple between your finger and thumb and check for nipple discharge (this could be a milky or yellow fluid or blood).
Feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few fingers of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together.
Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side—from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.
Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in above Step .
Image - Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
Normal breast with non–invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in an enlarged cross–section of the duct.
Breast profile:
A ducts
B lobules
C dilated section of duct to hold milk
D nipple
E fat
F pectoralis major muscle
G chest wall/rib cage
Enlargement:
A normal duct cells
B ductal cancer cells
C basement membrane
D lumen (center of duct)
Image - Range of Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
Image - Lobular Carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
Normal breast with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) in an enlarged cross–section of the lobule.
Breast profile:
A ducts
B lobules
C dilated section of duct to hold milk
D nipple
E fat
F pectoralis major muscle
G chest wall/rib cage
Enlargement:
A normal lobular cells
B lobular cancer cells
C basement membrane
Image - Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)
Normal breast with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in an enlarged cross–section of the duct.
Breast profile:
A ducts
B lobules
C dilated section of duct to hold milk
D nipple
E fat
F pectoralis major muscle
G chest wall/rib cage
Enlargement:
A normal duct cells
B ductal cancer cells breaking through the basement membrane
C basement membrane
Image - Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC)
Normal breast with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) in an enlarged cross–section of the lobule.
Breast profile:
A ducts
B lobules
C dilated section of duct to hold milk
D nipple
E fat
F pectoralis major muscle
G chest wall/rib cage
Enlargement:
A normal cells
B lobular cancer cells breaking through the basement membrane
C basement membrane
Image - Non-Invasive Cell Growth Subtypes - Solid
A cancer cells
B basement membrane
Image - Non-Invasive Cell Growth Subtypes - Cribriform
A cancer cells
B basement membrane
C lumen (center of duct)
Image - Non-Invasive Cell Growth Subtypes - Papillary
A cancer cells
B basement membrane
C lumen (center of duct)
Image - Non-Invasive Cell Growth Subtypes - Comedo
A living cancer cells
B dying cancer cells
C cell debris (necrosis)
Image - Vascular and Lymphatic Invasion
Normal breast with cancer cells invading the lymph channels and blood vessels in the breast tissue.
A blood vessels
B lymphatic channels
Enlargement:
A normal duct cells
B cancer cells
C basement membrane
D lymphatic channel
E blood vessel
F breast tissue
Image - Tumor Heterogeneity
Every cell of any particular cancer originated from the same "mother" cell. One cell turns into two cells, two cells to four, and so on. By the time a one–centimeter cancer is detected, the millions of cells that make up the lump have become distant relatives, as different from each other as you may be from your third cousin twice removed. Such cancer cell diversity–represented by the red stars, blue circles, and green triangles in this illustration–is called "tumor heterogeneity." Because what kills one kind of cell might pass over another, we need treatments in combination or in sequence, working in different ways, that TOGETHER may eliminate all of the cancer.
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Image - Breast Anatomy（乳腺的解剖）
Breast profile（乳腺的轮廓）
A ducts（导管）B lobules（小叶）C dilated section of duct to hold milk（导管膨大部分）D nipple（乳头）E fat（脂肪）F pectoralis major muscle（胸大肌）
G chest wall/rib cage（胸壁／肋骨）
Enlargement:（放大部分）
A normal duct cells（正常导管细胞）
B basement membrane（基底膜）
C lumen (center of duct)（空腔，即导管内）
Image - Axillary Lymph Nodes（腋窝淋巴结）
Lymph node areas adjacent to breast area.（乳腺区周围的淋巴结区域）
A pectoralis major muscle（胸大肌）
B axillary lymph nodes: levels I（水平I）
C axillary lymph nodes: levels II（水平II）
D axillary lymph nodes: levels III（水平III）
E supraclavicular lymph nodes（锁骨上淋巴结）
F internal mammary lymph nodes（内乳淋巴结）
Image - Lumpectomy  Woman with lumpectomy. A dark area indicates tumor B light pink highlighted area indicates tissue removed at lumpectomy Any form of surgery that removes only part of the breast is considered "breast-conserving" or "breast preservation" surgery. You may hear your surgeon use any one of several names: biopsy, lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, re-excision, quadrantectomy, wedge resection. Technically, a lumpectomy is a partial mastectomy, because part of the breast is removed. But how much of the breast is removed can vary greatly. Quadrantectomy, for example, means that a quarter of your breast will be removed. Be sure your surgeon discusses his or her "plan of action" with you, so that you have a clear understanding of how much of your breast may be gone after surgery. Lumpectomy is the most common form of breast cancer surgery today. The surgeon removes only the part of your breast containing the tumor (the "lump") and some of the normal tissue that surrounds it. Read more about recommended treatments after lumpectomy. All the tissue removed from your breast is examined carefully to see if cancer cells are present in the margins—the normal tissue surrounding the tumor. Read an article about radiation after lumpectomy. If cancer cells are found in the margins, extending out to the edge of the breast tissue that was removed, your surgeon will do additional surgery (called re-excision) to remove the remaining cancer. Most women receive five to seven weeks of radiation therapy after lumpectomy, in order to eliminate any cancer cells that may be present in the remaining breast tissue. The combination of lumpectomy and radiation is commonly called breast-conserving therapy. Image - Skin-Sparing Mastectomy  Woman with skin-sparing mastectomy. A pink line indicates "keyhole"–like incision B pink highlighted area indicates tissue removed at mastectomy |
