A lump or any other significant changes in the in the breast if located in the mammogram maybe the initial stage of breast cancer or any other disease. Once the lump or other changes are located then the doctor does a proper physical examination. This includes queries about the woman's personal and family's medical history. Not only this, a doctor can also ask for general health signs and also inquire about the following:
Mammography:
Mammography is x-rays of the breast. The doctor will ask you for it if you have any previous ones done to know about your history. Additional x-rays might be needed if there's a spot in the mammography which is not clear.
Palpation:
Palpation is one of the main stages where a doctor can more easily determine whether it is breast cancer or not. By palpation, he can easily make out the size, texture and movability of the lump. Palpation is an important process in which the doctor carefully feels the lump and the tissues surrounding it. At time there are other lumps such as Benign which feel different from the cancer ones.
Ultrasonography:
Ultrasonography uses high frequency sound waves through which it can be determined whether the lump is solid or filled with fluid. This test can also be performed with mammography.
The above are the basic tests which determine whether further tests are needed or not. However the doctor may ask the woman to keep a watch on any further changes in the breast. At times the doctor removes fluid or tissues from the breast to make a diagnosis.
Diagnosis Process:
Needle or Aspiration Biopsy:
A needle is used to remove the fluid or small amounts of tissue in the breast lump. During this process it can be determined whether the lump is cancer lump which is usually solid or fluid filled cyst which is not cancer.
If during this process the tissues are removed from the lump then they are sent to the lab for analysis. During this analysis it is checked whether there are cancer cells in the tissues or not.
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