By Chris Young
Daily Bruin Reporter
Sherry Goldman, a nurse practitioner at the UCLA Breast Center,
knows that telling her patients to do monthly self-examinations is
important ““ after all, she detected a cancerous lump in her
breast this way.
“It felt like a piece of uncooked rice in my
breast,” Goldman said. “It was really strange because
it was very small; most women think that you’re looking for
something that’s a large lump.”
After Goldman found the anomaly in her breast, she went to the
clinician at the Breast Center and ran an ultrasound and a
mammogram, both of which were negative.
Unconvinced, Goldman spoke to her surgeon and had the tumor
removed. A pathology test on the tissue removed revealed it to be
cancerous.
Goldman said her story should not cast doubt on diagnostic
tests, but it emphasizes the need for a woman to perform self-exams
and be familiar with her own tissue to recognize bodily
changes.
Breast cancer can be diagnosed by three tests: physical
examination, a mammogram or ultrasound diagnostic test, or a
pathology report. While not as definite as the other tests,
physical exams ““ especially self-exams ““ are useful in
detecting cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, women ages 20-39
should have a clinical breast exam every three years and perform
monthly self-examinations. Women over the age of 40 should have
annual mammograms and clinical breast examination as well as
monthly self-examinations.
According to Goldman, a woman has a one in nine chance of being
diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The American Cancer
Society said 60 percent of all cancers occur after the age of 65,
and nearly half of all cancers occur between the ages of 55 and
74.
Goldman said college-age women should not worry too much because
they have a 90 percent chance of not being diagnosed until well
into their 40s and 50s, but they should develop the habit of
performing monthly self-exams nonetheless.
“What usually happens with young women is that
they’re hypervigilant,” Goldman said.
“They’re worried that they’re going to get it,
and the truth is most young women don’t get it. But in order
to prepare yourself as you get older, be familiar with your own
breast tissue by doing a self-exam monthly or bimonthly.”
Goldman also said that especially now, during breast cancer
awareness month, there is a controversy about the effectiveness of
self-breast exams.
“Do women really need to do self- exams? My feeling is yes
because if they don’t, they aren’t going to be familiar
with their own breast tissue, and they won’t know what to
look for if they do get cancer,” Goldman said.
The UCLA Arthur Ashe Health and Wellness Center, which works
with the Breast Cancer, has a women’s clinic and sees
students regarding issues of breast cancer.
Ann Brooks, a nurse practitioner at the Ashe Center, said most
students have a good understanding of the situation and that they
realize they don’t perform self-exams often enough.
“I don’t want them to think they’re doing
something wrong by not checking monthly or bimonthly, but if they
haven’t started doing self-exams, they should,” she
said.
While it is not possible to prevent breast cancer, there are
ways to lower the risk of getting it.
“College-age women should drink alcohol only in
moderation, exercise as often as possible, maintain a healthy diet,
make sure they are familiar with their own breast tissue and have a
yearly checkup,” Goldman said.
Also, women who have an immediate relative with breast cancer,
like a mother or sister, are at a higher risk for developing it and
should take extra precautions with breast cancer screening. Some
hospitals, such as UCLA’s Breast Center, have programs for
these women, and are more vigilant about screening them for
cancer.