Breast Self Examination 
Breast Self Examination, or BSE, is the first part of a three-pronged approach to early detection which also includes Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) and mammography. BSE is the first line of defense, as more than 80% of all breast cancers are discovered by women themselves.

BSE is a method of examining your own breasts regularly so that you know what your normal breast tissue feels like. Many women have some lumpiness and often there are normal differences between the right and left breasts. By being familiar with your own breast tissue, if a change or abnormality does occur, you can detect it as early as possible and bring it to the attention of your health care professional. Keep in mind that 8 out of every 10 changes in the breast are not cancer. If breast cancer does occur, early detection is the key to beating it. In fact, when found early, the five-year survival rate is nearly 100%!

CBE Recommendations
A woman should see her health care provider once a year to receive a CBE, along with a pap smear, beginning at the age of 18 (or younger if she is sexually active).

What does a CBE include?
Your health care provider should examine you in two positions: sitting up and lying down. This is important because the breasts look and feel entirely different in each position. Also, make sure that all of your breast tissue is being examined. This includes the area from your armpit down along the side of your body, under the bra line, up the sternum or breastbone, and back across the clavicle or collarbone. This is then repeated on the other breast.

Mammography
For women 40 years old and above, mammography is added to Breast Self Examination (BSE) and a Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) to complete the three-pronged approach to early detection.

What is a Mammogram?
Mammography uses low dose x-ray imaging to provide high contrast, high-resolution images of the breast. It is an important tool in early detection for women over 40, as mammography can show changes in breast tissue well before a woman or her health care provider can feel them. Young women do not receive mammograms as a regular form of early detection because their breast tissue is very dense, making it difficult for the x-ray to detect changes. As a woman gets older, her breast tissue becomes less dense, resulting in more accurate readings.

What is the difference between Screening Mammography and Diagnostic Mammography?
It is recommended that women 40 years old and above receive an annual screening mammography. However, if a woman has a breast concern, such as a lump or nipple discharge found through BSE, CBE or screening mammography, she should undergo diagnostic mammography. Several additional views of the breast are imaged so that exact size and location of breast abnormalities can be determined and the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes can be imaged. The additional imaging views used in diagnostic mammography are usually recommended for women with breast implants or a personal history of breast cancer.