Breast self-checks: Why they are key

Dr Paul Darbyshire, Chief Scientific Officer of MyBOOBRisk, explains why adult women of all ages are encouraged to perform breast self-checks at least once a month. For women still menstruating, a breast self-check should be performed a few days after their period ends. For those who are postmenopausal, a breast self-check should be performed on the same day of each month. The primary purpose of a breast self-check is to become familiar with the way your breasts look and feel. Knowing how your breasts usually look and feel will help you better identify any changes. The main signs a woman needs to pay attention to during a routine breast self-check are size, shape, or symmetry changes. Also, if the skin develops a texture similar to an orange peel (dimpling) and a visible indentation when the arms are raised (puckering). Others include nipple inversion, fluid discharge from the nipple, and persistent breast or armpit pain. However, monitoring your breast health is also vital for various reasons. For example, breast cancer can often show up in ways other than a lump on the breast.

In most cases, lumps usually turn out to be harmless cysts, fibroadenomas, and fat necrosis, or something connected to the time of the month when hormones constantly fluctuate, causing unusual changes to the breast tissue. Some breast cancers, however, can manifest themselves in other ways. For example, the body often starts producing different warning signs as it targets the early development of the cells of a potentially malignant tumour. Indeed, before any actual diagnosis, women with breast cancer often experience symptoms which tend to cluster together, such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and pain. In fact, studies have shown that a significant portion of women experience elevated levels of anxiety and depression before their breast cancer diagnosis.¹ Pain is a common symptom, often found in clusters along with psychological distress presenting itself as worry, nervousness, irritability, and sadness, and in association with fatigue and sleep disturbance.^2-4

Early warning signs

The co-occurrence of symptoms is collectively known as a symptom cluster. Often, these symptoms are classified, studied, and managed independently, even though they rarely occur in isolation. Although we understand that many of these symptoms tend to cluster together, they often have different manifestations and occur during various phases of the disease trajectory and in response to complex biological processes. Indeed, several common symptom clusters have been well-documented. The neurological cluster usually manifests with physical symptoms such as muscle weakness, difficulty speaking, or vision problems. The psychological cluster is characterised by patterns of emotion and behaviour that lack a clear logical basis, and the gastrointestinal cluster involves symptoms of loss of appetite and vomiting.^5-6 Monitoring for signs of symptom cluster development can serve as an invaluable early warning indicator, especially given that such clustering behaviour can manifest itself before any actual diagnosis. Indeed, early detection and diagnosis are crucial for effective treatment and improved outcomes.

In addition to the commonly recognised underlying symptoms discussed above, stress, sleep, mood, and fatigue also play a significant role in the diagnosis of the early development of breast cancer. For example, sleep is a fundamental human need and crucial to physical and mental wellbeing. According to most national organisations, adults need about seven to nine hours of restful sleep each night, preferably with consistent sleep and wake times. Indeed, chronic sleep problems can even increase the likelihood of developing dementia, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even cancers of the breast, colon, ovaries, and prostate. Many studies have highlighted the bidirectional connection between sleep disturbance and breast cancer, noting that patients with various types of disease manifestation often suffer from sleep disorders even before starting preventative treatment.^7-8

Breast cancer is a known trigger of acute and persistent inflammatory and immune responses. Such triggers also result in an increased synthesis and release of cytokines, which bind to receptors in target cells and mount a systemic inflammatory response to counter the cellular damage inflicted by the disease. In essence, cytokines are highly inducible secretory proteins that function as chemical messengers that mediate intercellular communication in the immune system. During sleep, especially during deep sleep, the production and release of cytokines increase, promoting immune activation and pathogen defence. Conversely, sleep deprivation can lead to a decrease in cytokine production, impairing immune function. As such, a certain level of regular and restorative sleep is essential for the optimal functioning of both the natural and adaptive immune responses, ensuring the body is fully prepared to fight off any infection and potentially developing disease. Indeed, disruption to many biological processes and cellular activity, as a result of heightened levels of mood, anxiety, stress, and fatigue, can potentially play a role in all stages of breast cancer development, before, during, and after diagnosis.

Tired of confusing health advice? Let our Virtual Nutritionist simplify it.

An innovation in breast cancer health and wellbeing

MyBOOBRisk is a breast health and wellbeing incentive scheme designed to promote regular breast self-checks and reporting of persistent breast observations and associated underlying symptoms, including access to clinically validated stress, sleep, mood, and fatigue assessments. The incentive scheme is to encourage women to regularly check their breasts and stay safe. It also provides members with offers and discounts on fashion, travel, food and drink, health and beauty, flowers and gifts, home and garden, etc., every time they perform a monthly breast self-check and complete their digital diary.

Sign up for MyBOOBRisk and share this blog post with family and friends to help get the message out to more women. You can also visit MyBOOBRisk and take advantage of exclusive discounts already waiting for you. If you want hundreds more, sign up, and you can also manage your breast health and wellbeing at the same time, all for FREE!

View our range of award-winning probiotics, vitamins and supplements.

You may also enjoy reading:

References

¹Combined anxiety and depressive symptoms before diagnosis of breast cancer. L.V. Esch et al. Journal of Affective Disorders. 3(136), 2012.

²Differences in symptom clusters before and twelve months after breast cancer surgery. M. Mazor et al. Eur. J. Oncol. Nursing. 19(32), 2017.

³Presenting symptoms of cancer and stage at diagnosis: evidence from a cross-sectional, population-based study. M.M. Koo et al. Lancet Oncol. 21(1), 2020.

⁴The importance of early symptom recognition in the context of early detection and cancer survival. J.J. Ott., A. Ullrich, A.B. Miller. Eur. J. Cancer. 45(16), 2009.

⁵Clusters of psychological symptoms in breast cancer. Is there a common psychological mechanism? A.J. Guimond, H. Ivers, and J. Savard. Cancer Nursing. 43(5), 2020.

⁶Symptom clusters experienced by breast cancer patients at various treatment stages: A systematic review. K.W. Winnie, et al. Cancer Medicine. 10(8), 2020.

⁷Sleep disturbances in cancer. L. Lianqi and S. Ancoli-Israel. Psychiatric Annals. 38(9), 2008.

⁸Sleep disorders and cancer. State of the art and future perspectives. M.P. Mogavero et al. Sleep Med. Rev. 56(10), 2020.