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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How is breast cancer diagnosed?

    Related Topics
    Breast Cancer Cancer
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    Dr Bhaumik Shah

    Medical Oncologist (Cancer Specialist)

    Dr Shah believes in family centered care and long consultations to put all anxieties at ease. He has trained in different illustrious institutes to obtain … View Profile

    There are chiefly two ways breast cancers are diagnosed.

    A) Due to screening for breast cancer: Australian government offers free breast cancer screening with mammograms for all women 50 years or more of age. It also offers MRI screening of breast for young age women with high risk of breast cancer due to strong family history or genetic mutations. These tests can diagnose many breast cancers before any symptoms.

    B) Due to symptoms: Some of the symptoms that can indicate possibility of breast cancer are as follows.
    - lump in breast or armpit
    - unusual discharge from nipple
    - change in shape or appearance of breast
    - dimpling or pitting of skin of breast
    - longstanding pain in breast

    It is worth noting that all these symptoms can happen due to alternative causes as well. But they can be early features of a breast cancer. So it would be worth getting an examination by your GP.

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  • Dr Susan Hawes

    Breast Surgeon, General Surgeon

    I am a general surgeon who has had specialist training in breast surgery. I will always do my very best to take care of you. … View Profile

    Breast cancer is diagnosed with a combination of History -the patient may present with a lump or breast symptoms or may present due to the finding of a breast lesion Examination -patients may present with a palpable mass in the breast or axilla -skin dimpling, rash, thickening -there may be no symptoms at all in early breast cancer Radiology -mammogram- assess abnormal calcification patterns, may show abnormal masses. Mammograms with contrast are useful in women with dense breast tissue (birads C/D) to identify malignancy -USS can assess breast masses and is typically used in younger women and as an adjunct in women with dense breasts on mammogram -MRI with contrast- due to neovascularization of tumours, MRI is useful in assessing for breast cancer in women with dense breasts or where there is a clinical mismatch with standard radiology where treatment decisions may be altered by the treating surgeon. MRI is also useful when patients have breast problems and have breast implants. Pathology -Histological diagnosis is the gold standard for diagnosing breast cancer. Core biopsy provides better information, FNA that shows atypia usually warrants further investigation and sometimes excision or core biopsy.

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