What is breast cancer screening and breast cancer diagnosis?

Diagnosis of breast cancer is a confirmation of cancer cells in the breast. While breast cancer screening is to understand the symptoms and detect breast malignancy. Screening is the act to conclude if there is a diagnosis for breast cancer.

How can you confirm if you have breast cancer?

Once you have performed breast cancer screening, the doctor will give a positive or negative diagnosis. After that you will need the following two things:

1. Breast Biopsy
2. Histopathological examination

What are the steps for cancer diagnosis?

There are several signs and symptoms of breast cancer to look for in order to early detect breast malignancy. In order to detect cancer at an early stage a variety of symptoms need to be looked out for.

1. Breast physical screening – doctor feels breast and surrounding area for abnormalities including lumps
2. Mammogram – x-ray of the breast that checks of lesions, lumps and other sigs of breast carcinoma
3. Breast MRI – high definition test for patients with high genetic risk (BRCA 1/2 gene) or if doctor wants clarity of mammogram.

However a breast biopsy must be performed in order to have a conclusive diagnosis. Only the biopsy can confirm presence of cancer cells in the breast or breast malignancy.

What happens during a diagnostic mammogram?

Everyone feels differently during a mammogram. Most do not feel any pain. You will be first asked to fill out a basic questionnaire. Then each breast will be compressed horizontally between two plates. This helps flattening tissues so that the machine can see all tissues layers and find tumor cells easily. 

You may experience slight soreness after the mammogram due to the pressure and compression. And it is advisable not to use any spray or perfumes including deodorants as the powder may interfere with the mammogram machine.