Breast self-examination method – look Step 1: Face the mirror, cross your arms and observe the breast shape and contour for any abnormalities. Step 2: Raise your arms and observe the shape, skin, nipples and outline of your breasts for any abnormalities. Breast self-examination method – palpation Body position – sitting or lying down, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th finger’s fingertips, crossed, slide parallel, in a certain order. Order: 1. Touch the upper outer left breast with the right hand for any lumps; 2. Touch the lower outer left breast with the right hand for any lumps; 3. Touch the lower inner left breast with the right hand for any lumps; 4. Touch the upper inner left breast with the right hand for any lumps; 5. Lie flat on your back with your shoulders slightly padded, raise your left arm and touch the left armpit with the right hand for any lumps; 6. Touch around the nipple and squeeze the nipple with your fingers for any abnormal overflow. What are the abnormal changes? 1, breast lumps: breast lumps are the main symptom of breast tumor, breast lumps are also seen in breast hyperplasia, breast tuberculosis, etc. 2.Limited thickening of the breast gland: When touching the breast, we find that the tissue is slightly thicker than its surrounding area, the boundary is not clear and it is difficult to measure its exact size. In non-menopausal women, there are some changes in size, especially with the menstrual cycle, and they are mostly physiological. However, if the thickened tissue persists for a long time, independent of the menstrual cycle, or if it becomes increasingly thickened and enlarged, especially in postmenopausal women, it must be taken seriously because about 8% of such lesions are cancerous. 3. Breast pain: Severe pain in the breast with tenderness is often an inflammatory manifestation of the breast, as seen in acute mastitis and breast abscess. If the localized pain in the breast is often related to the menstrual cycle, it is usually seen in simple and cystic hyperplasia of the breast. 4. Nipple overflow: During the non-lactating period of women, nipple overflow occurs mostly pathologically, the most common cause is intraductal papilloma, followed by cystic hyperplasia and ductal dilatation of the breast, about 15% of patients have breast cancer, special attention should be paid to bloody overflow accompanied by breast lumps. Some drugs can also cause bilateral nipple overflow, such as estrogen, birth control pills, etc. 5. Breast skin changes: Most breast diseases do not have any change in breast skin, while acute mastitis often has skin redness and swelling, breast tuberculosis may be accompanied by skin ulcers or fistulas, and breast cancer may have orange peel-like skin changes. There is a special type of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer, in which the skin of the breast can appear widely red and swollen. Breast contour change: Normal breast has a complete curved contour, any defect or abnormality in this curved contour is very important and is often an early sign of breast cancer. 7. Nipple change: The nipple can be invaginated when the breast is congenitally underdeveloped, mostly in women with no history of breastfeeding. Inverted nipples are also seen in breast cancer and are often unilateral. Repeated eczema and itching of the skin around the nipple that does not heal over time should be considered as a possibility of Paired’s disease, which is a special type of breast cancer.