Tobacco and Oral Cancer: The Warning Signs Inside Your Mouth
India has among the highest rates of oral cancer in the world, driven by gutka, khaini and pan masala. It is one of the few cancers you can see developing in a mirror.
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Breast cancer in India is diagnosed at a later stage and at a younger age than in the West. Knowing what your own breasts normally feel like is the earliest possible warning system.
Why early detection changes everything
Breast cancer detected at stage 1 has a five-year survival above 95%. At stage 4 it falls to roughly a quarter. The difference is not the treatment available — it is when the patient came.
In India, more than half of breast cancers are diagnosed at stage 3 or 4. The reasons are consistent in our experience: not knowing what to look for, hesitancy about examination, hoping a painless lump will resolve, and delaying because the lump does not hurt. Most breast cancers are painless in the early stages.
How to examine yourself
Do it once a month, about a week after your period ends, when the breasts are least tender and lumpy. After menopause, choose a fixed date each month.
Stand before a mirror with arms at your sides and look for changes in size, shape or contour, dimpling or puckering of the skin, redness or scaling, and any change in the nipple's position or direction. Repeat with arms raised, and then with hands pressed on the hips to tighten the chest muscles.
Then examine by touch. Lying down, place a pillow under the shoulder on the side being examined and put that arm behind your head. Using the flat pads of three fingers, move in small circles with light, medium and firm pressure, covering the whole breast in a consistent pattern — vertical strips work well. Include the area up to the collarbone and out into the armpit. Finally, squeeze the nipple gently to check for discharge. Repeat standing, which many find easier in the shower with soapy hands.
What to report to a doctor
- Any new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit
- A change in the size or shape of one breast
- Skin dimpling, puckering, or an orange-peel texture
- A nipple that has newly turned inward
- Blood-stained or clear discharge from one nipple, without squeezing
- Persistent scaling, rash or ulceration of the nipple
- Persistent pain in one specific area
Worth knowing
Most breast lumps are not cancer — fibroadenomas, cysts and hormonal changes are far more common. But a doctor decides that, not you, and not a wait of three months.
Screening beyond self-examination
- Clinical breast examination by a doctor every one to three years from age 25 to 40, then annually
- Mammogram every one to two years from age 40
- From age 30, or ten years before the age at which a close relative was diagnosed, if there is a strong family history
- Ultrasound is often used alongside mammography in younger women with dense breast tissue
- Discuss genetic testing if there is a family history of breast or ovarian cancer at a young age
Reducing risk
Breastfeeding, maintaining a healthy weight particularly after menopause, regular physical activity, limiting alcohol and avoiding unnecessary long-term hormone therapy all reduce risk to a modest but real degree.
Nothing eliminates risk, which is exactly why detection matters more than prevention in breast cancer. Five minutes a month is a small investment against a decade of difference in outcome.
Key takeaways
- Most early breast cancers are painless — a lump that does not hurt is not reassuring.
- Examine monthly, a week after your period, using a consistent pattern.
- Report any new lump, skin dimpling, nipple inversion or single-sided discharge promptly.
- Mammography from 40, or earlier with a strong family history.
A note on medical advice
This article is general health education written and reviewed by the Department of Surgical Oncology at SIMS. It is not a substitute for an examination, a diagnosis or the advice of your own treating doctor, and it cannot account for your history, medicines or reports. If a symptom is sudden or severe — chest pain, stroke symptoms, breathing difficulty, serious injury, seizures or heavy bleeding — call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department instead of reading further.
Breast cancerScreeningWomen's healthSelf-examination
