What you should know about breast cancer screening

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Being diagnosed with breast cancer is every woman’s nightmare. In Germany alone, around 75,000 women suffer from it, with one in every ten women getting breast cancer in their life, making the disease the most common form of cancer occurring in women.

Mamma carcinoma, as it is known in the medical world, can be treated, if it is detected early on. At an advanced stage. If metastases have already formed and the lymph nodes have been affected, the chances of being cured are usually greatly reduced, as is usual with all solid tumours.

In addition, as we get older, the risk of being infected with breast cancer rises proportionately. Over 80% of cases of breast cancer are found in women over 50, that is, women in the menopause.

While breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer from occurring, it can help with detecting it as early as possible and treating it in time. You should therefore go for a breast cancer screening regularly.

What you need to know about breast cancer

Breast cancer is a hormone-related cancer. The female sex hormone, oestrogen, itself does not cause breast cancer, but it stimulates the growth of the tumour once it has formed. An anti-hormonal therapy involving inhibiting the formation or effect of oestrogen is therefore always a key part of treating breast cancer.

Risk factors scientifically proven to be associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer include:

Immutable factors:

Increasing age: Most cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women over 50.

Previous cases in the family: Cases of the illness in first-degree relatives (mother, sister, etc.) can indicate a certain pre-existing risk.

Starting menstruation at an early age and starting the menopause older; the long period determines the risk

Childlessness or first pregnancy at a later age

Not having breastfed

Controllable factors

1. Risk factors associated with lifestyle

Overweight and obesity: causes changes to the metabolism of the female sex hormones, resulting in increased
oestrogen production and oestrogen becomes increasingly deposited in body fat, mainly after the menopause.
Smoking
Alcohol
Lack of physical activity

2. Risk factors associated with hormonal preparations

Hormonal contraceptives (i.e. contraceptive pill)
HRT (hormone replacement therapy)

An annual breast screening check-up, where the gynaecologist checks the breasts and armpits, is recommended as early as the age of 30. In Germany, this is a service covered by state insurance.

Women between 50 and 69 are particularly at risk and are therefore invited to a mammography every 2 years, during which the breasts are X-rayed. For quality assurance purposes, a mammography is only performed in specialised facilities taking part in the German mammography screening programme.

In special cases, further screen measures are covered by state insurance, such as an ultrasound examination (sonography) and MRI. The services can vary depending on the health insurance company. Your doctor will be able to advise you in greater detail about what is advised for you and what costs are covered by your health insurance company.

An mammography for early cancer screening can, and that goes for all screening tests, also have disadvantages aside from the undisputed benefits. It can lead to excessive diagnoses or unconfirmed (false positive) suspected cases. However, this rarely occurs and in case of doubt, it is better to have a false positive diagnosis than to stick your head in the stand and avoid taking part in any screening measures.

Feeling around the breasts is an easy way of doing something for your own preventive care. This self-exam can also help you to get to know your body better. The better you know each centimetre of your breasts, the faster you will notice any changes.

You should perform this self-exam, which only takes a few minutes, once a month. This should be done in the first week after your cycle. If you are no longer having periods, you can choose the time yourself. You should also always take a fixed day so that you don’t forget to feel around. The first day of the month is a good choice.

SELF-EXAM

A self-exam only takes a little practice and the internet offers plenty of informative instructions on how to do it properly. Examples include the beautifully designed instructions from world boxing champion Regina Halmich and stunt woman Miriam Höller, which you can download and print out.

Therefore make use of the free medical check-ups: