1600 cases yearly in New Zealand

Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

	Any change to the breast should be noted, and checked soon by a doctor.
	Breast lumps are often hard, irregular, and different to the other breast.
	Don't forget to examine the nipple area.

To diagnose, clinical examination, imaging and pathology are used - the "TRIPLE TEST"

	Clinical Examination - by a doctor or breast physician, BUTof course you should do your own regular self examinations !! (BSE).
	Breast Imaging - Mammogram and Ultrasound
	Biopsy - Fine Needle , Core Biopsy

Breast self-examination:

	Occasional BSE detects cancer > 2cm in size -- 60% Alive at 5 Years.
	Regular BSE detects cancer > 1.5cm -- 70% Alive at 5 Years.

How to find cancer - you MAY notice:

	Lump or thickening
	Nipple discharge or change
	Skin dimpling or shape of breast changes
	Pain - uncommonly (<1%)
YOU SHOULD HAVE A REGULAR MAMMOGRAM ONCE PER YEAR starting at aged 40 years !!!
	Occasional Mammographic Screening Detects Cancer > 1 cm = 90% alive at 5 years
	Regular Screening detects > 0.5 cm cancer = 95% alive at 5 years

It is therefore sensible to have regular mammography, as the smaller the cancer when detected and removed, the better your chance of complete cure, with 95% , versus only 60% being alive at 5 years without mammography.

Or only 1 in 20 dead, compared to 4 out of 10 being no longer with us - a tragic but preventable waste of human life, often at a young age with children who will then have to grow up without their mother.



Diagnosis

A definitive diagnosis can only be made by the pathologist, and sometimes we are pleasantly surprised to find that your suspicious looking lump is NOT a cancer, or vice versa - a benign looking area may contain malignant cells.

Fine needle aspirate (FNA) is used first, using local anaesthetic and a special needle inserted into the area. If it is hard to reach, it may be best to use a Wire Localisation with X-ray (=hookwire) under local anaesthetic, followed by surgical biopsy. More often the biopsy can be done without needing the wire to guide the way. Here is a cancerous lump after removal.