Breasts are organs located on the surface of the body and it is relatively easy to detect abnormalities or lumps when they appear. In the female population, due to hygiene promotion and fear of cancer, some people have begun to carry out breast self-examination, and can often find abnormalities on their own and consult a doctor in time. In fact, among the breast tumors treated, most of them are found by self-examination and come to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment. However, the publicity and education in this aspect in our country is still far from being widely penetrated into the female population of all classes, even if they know that they should carry out self-examination, but they fail to grasp the correct timing and methods, so that a considerable number of breast cancer patients only consult the doctor in the middle or late stage and lose the opportunity of radical treatment. Therefore, it is of great significance to publicize and promote the correct method of breast self-examination so that early breast cancer can be detected in time. Timing of breast self-examination 1. In principle, women over 25 years old should learn and master the correct method of breast self-examination, and women with breast cancer susceptibility factors and women over 40 years old should be able to do systematic breast self-examination once a month. Breast self-examination should be carried out after each menstruation, and it should be carried out at the same time of the menstrual cycle, so that it is easy to compare the changes with the previous examination, and it is favorable for the self-mastery of the dynamic changes of the breasts. Breast self-check method 1, take off the shirt, in the bright light, full exposure of the chest, double upper limbs naturally drooping, face the mirror to observe and compare the bilateral breast situation, sitting, standing position can be, generally more sitting position. 2.Reclining position examination: a thin pillow can be placed under the shoulder of the examined side, the upper limb of the same side is elevated above the head, the palm side of the opposite side of the fingers is used to touch the breasts according to the order of inner upper, inner lower, outer upper, outer lower and central area, and then the lymph nodes in the axilla and supraclavicular fossa of the side are examined. 3.Bath time inspection: When taking a bath, the breasts should be well soaped, so that it is easy to slide for inspection. When checking, put one hand behind the head, put the fingers of one hand straight and close together, and press each part of the breast carefully in a spiral way with the fingertips to see if there is a hard lump. The breasts should be examined from left to right in this way. The content of breast self-test Look: Contour: whether the two sides of the breast is basically symmetrical, if there is asymmetry of its part; normal breast has a complete arc outline, if there is a change in the arc, should be investigated for its cause. Height: whether both breasts are at the same height. The breast with tumor may be higher than the healthy side. Nipple areola: whether both sides of the nipple are symmetrical, whether the nipple is shifted, inverted or retracted, especially compared with the past, whether there is nipple erosion, oozing or crust; whether both sides of the areola are symmetrical, how is the coloring, whether there is any abnormal bulge or limited redness and swelling. When there is nipple overflow, it is necessary to try to see the site of the overflow tube, and the color, transparency and quantity of the overflow should also be observed and judged. Breast skin: whether there is slight localized sinking of the skin, which can be an early sign of breast cancer or “dimple sign”, and this sign can be more obvious when both arms are raised or both hands are inserted into the waist. Whether the skin color is limited to one side or one part, the redness of the skin caused by inflammation is often accompanied by local swelling, heat and pain, while if the breast cancer invades into the lymphatic vessels of the skin, the skin will be in deep red color without any heat or pain. When the breast cancer is widely adhered to the skin and the skin is edematous due to lymphatic retention, the follicular pores of the skin will be obviously sunken, which will make the skin show the orange peel-like change, which is called “orange peel” sign. Observe the skin for one-sided superficial varicose veins that are confined to the surface of the mass. There are no skin breakdowns, ulcers or fistulae, and what is the nature of their secretions. Condition of the supraclavicular fossa: presence of discoloration and swelling or abnormal elevation. Palpation: Sequence: Examine the left breast with the right hand, and after examining it in sequence, examine the right breast in the same opposite position. If there is a known lesion, palpation should start on the healthy side first, followed by the affected side. One side is systematically examined for lumps according to the order of outer upper, outer lower, inner lower, inner upper, central area (nipple, areola area), and axilla. Manipulation Fingers and palms are placed flat, and light pressure is applied to make sliding palpation in order, from shallow to deep, avoiding rough and heavy pressing and grasping and pinching, so as not to grab the glands up, resulting in false sensation. When an obvious lump is found, it should be carefully examined to determine its nature. Normal breast glands can also be palpated, especially in women with less subcutaneous fat, but the whole is fuzzy, granular and soft. In young women, they are soft and homogeneous, with a nodular sensation with age, a tense sensation during menstruation, and an enlarged, soft, nodular sensation during pregnancy, but all are evenly distributed. Glandular thickening refers to the limited thickening of the normal gland, the range can be large or small, can be scattered or concentrated in a quadrant, but the distribution of the whole breast, often flaky, no clear and distinct boundaries, in order to show tough nodularity is common. On the other hand, most of the lumps are confined to a single nodule, or there may be multiple nodules, either active or fixed, all with measurable boundaries. Any abnormalities or lumps found through self-examination should be further examined in the hospital without delay.