How to do a self-exam for breast cancer

Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide.

In 2020, breast cancer claimed 2.26 million lives and it also has an incidence rate of 17.6% in the Philippines.

In an episode of "Pinoy MD," the Asian Breast Center president, Dr. Norman San Agustin, said one in every four Filipino women get breast cancer.

So what are the signs you should watch out for to detect breast cancer?

A couple of tell-tale signs are: 1) lump on your breast and 2) pain in the chest area.

Dr. San Agustin said it is best to consult your doctor as soon as you experience pain, as early detection is important for breast cancer.

If you plan to do a self-exam, you can start by facing in front of a mirror to check if there are any unusual shapes on your breasts.

Another is checking if there are any lumps on your breasts by examining it starting from your nipple to your outer breast.

If you feel any lump on your breasts, Dr. San Agustin said it is best to get checked.

For instance, 27-year-old Nikki Canlas only learned she has breast cancer after she got into a motorcycle accident back when she was 25.

Canlas said she felt that there was a lump on her left breast and that there was an existing pain after the accident.

She then decided to get herself checked and that's when she learned that she has Stage 3 cancer.

Dr. San Agustin said her motorcycle accident has nothing to do with her breast cancer. The disease, however, has now progressed to Stage 4.

Canlas said she was initially misdiagnosed and was asked to do a cranial CT scan instead when she was only 22 years old.

Back then, she got herself checked after she experienced a yellow liquid discharge from her areola.

"They said there may be nerves that send a signal to cause the liquid discharge. The doctor said the breast cancer probably started back then but it was not thought of initially because I was so young then," she said.

Experts recommend removal of tumor for breast cancer. In Canlas' case, however, the cancer has spread in other parts of her body. She said she has already tried oral chemotherapy every two weeks.

Dr. San Agustin said another treatment is brachytherapy, a localized treatment which uses a seed or radioactive material inside your body.

According to Mayo Clinic, brachytherapy is "one type of radiation therapy that's used to treat cancer," and is sometimes "called internal radiation." —Jannielyn Bigtas/MGP, GMA News