Is breast self-examination still important? What has actually changed

For years we were told: check your breasts every month. Is that still the advice?

Not quite. The American Cancer Society no longer recommends monthly self-examination as a routine screening test for women at average risk, because on its own it has not been shown to reduce deaths. What it emphasises instead is breast awareness.

Awareness, not a ritual

Breast awareness simply means knowing how your breasts normally look and feel, so that you notice what is new. Normal breasts are rarely smooth or perfectly symmetrical, and texture can shift with your cycle. The point is change from your own baseline.

Awareness does not replace mammography, which can find changes long before they can be felt. The two work together.

What deserves a medical review

• A new lump in the breast or armpit, or swelling of part of the breast.
• Skin dimpling or an orange-peel texture.
• A nipple turning inward when that is not normal for you.
• Spontaneous nipple discharge other than breast milk.
• Redness, scaling or thickening of the breast skin or nipple.

Most such changes turn out not to be cancer — but an assessment, not a guess, is what tells you so.