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Who’s Afraid of the Breast Ultrasound?
The mere mention of breast cancer is enough to send terror to women,
regardless of age, race and status. This is because breast cancer is
one of the most common types of cancer that has stricken women
worldwide. It does not discriminate and it will strike anyone
without much warning. Given that more and more women are dying of
breast cancer, it is imperative that more information about the
disease should be disseminated. Having knowledge about the disease
can help women detect the early signs of breast cancer, thereby
enabling them to seek
immediate medical help. That way, the spread of the disease in the
body can be prevented.
There is no definite cause for the onset of breast cancer; what
science is able to determine, however, are the possible causes and
factors that lead to the spread of the disease. A woman whose family
has a history of cancer is believed to be more likely to be stricken
with the disease as compared to a woman whose family has no history
of cancer.
With that said, anyone who is at risk should be made aware of the
first line of detection procedure which is that self-breast
examination. Another possible cause of cancer is the diet. We’ve
been told countless times of the dangers of an unhealthy diet as it
can lead to various types of diseases. Interestingly, a diet rich in
fat can not only cause heart diseases, but it is believed to be one
of the causes of cancer. Living a healthy life should be a priority
nowadays because no one can tell what disease will strike next.
Self-breast examination is primarily a touch and feel procedure;
hence, it is not conclusive. What it does, however, is to allow
women to be one step ahead. Any abnormalities detected either by
touch or ocular inspection can immediately be reported to the
doctor, who in turn will recommend a more advanced detection test
such as breast ultrasound or mammography. While the latter is the
most important screening tool for breast cancer, breast ultrasound
emerges as a painless and quickest way to see the actual
abnormalities present in the breast.
Breast ultrasound makes use of ultrasound scanners that have a
display screen and a transducer. Using high frequency sound waves,
it is able to detect changes in the internal structure of the
breast. As such, tumors or any abnormal masses can be seen. The
procedure is non-invasive, which means that there are no needles
involved and it is as painless as it can possibly be.
There is not much preparation needed to perform the breast
ultrasound. The patient just needs to lie on her back and raise her
arms above her head. A clear gel will be applied to ensure that the
affected area will have secure contact with the transducer. The
radiologist (or sonographer) will keep moving the scanner until the
desired image of the affected area has been captured. The procedure
can be done in 30 minutes, more or less and the results can be
interpreted by the physician or the radiologist.
With such painless and fast procedure, women should not be afraid of
undergoing breast ultrasound, especially if it can make a big
difference in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
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