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Breast cancer is one of the leading and most feared killers of women. But you can win the battle against breast cancer if you have the knowledge to fight it.
A team of journalists at ABC 7 News has been working together to bring you a first-of-a-kind report on Washington television: "Touch of Life: The Guide to Self-breast Examination."
In its reporting, the team was amazed to find the majority of women have no idea how to do a breast exam, and when and how often to do it. Self breast-examinations are especially critical for young women, since insurance does not pay for routine mammograms until the age of 40.
Breast cancer patient Lauren Albright is a case in point. The 28-year-old was doing her monthly self breast exam when her fingertips discovered something she hoped she'd never find -- a lump.
"it was a pea-size lump under my nipple," Albright recalled. "That's when I decided to go to my primary care physician."
She is facing the fight of her life, and wants to help show other women how to do this critical exam. So she bravely volunteered to go unclothed so a doctor can show both her and you the proper way to detect breast cancer.
"I know enough to save my own life, and that was very important to me," she said.
Surgical oncologist Shannon Lehr with the Inova Breast Care Institute helped Albright demonstrate the proper life-saving techniques:
"So the first part of the exam is looking at both your breasts in a mirror, looking for any changes in the appearance of the breasts, and that way you can look at all of the breast contour. And again, what you're looking for is just changes -- anything that looks different month to month.
"And what you want to do is take the pads of three fingers and then just gently, in a circular motion, feel all of the breast tissue. And you have to remember that the breast tissue extends from the collarbone, down to the top of the abdomen, to the breast bone, out to the armpit.
"The other important thing is to remember that you do have a lot of breast tissue behind the nipple so you want to include the nipple, behind the nipple, on all four sides.
"The last part of the exam is to also examine your armpit. The lymph nodes that drain the breast live up underneath the armpit, so you want to feel that area. There's also some breast tissue that ends up in the armpit area as well, and you want to be sure to include that as part of your exam."
It's recommended a women do a self exam in the days after her period ends. For those who are post-menopausal, it can be the same day each month.
"Breast cancer knows no age," Dr. Lehr warned, adding early diagnosis from self exams gives women the best chance for long-term survival.
"Doing a breast self exam can have obviously a huge impact, just as it has in Lauren's life," Dr. Lehr said. "Breast self exams give you a sense of empowerment that you're taking control of your body, you're taking control of your health."
Albright's husband Mark came home from his deployment in Iraq (web | news) to be with her during this fight against cancer. He supports her decision to do this demonstration.
"I'm proud of what's she's been through and the confidence she has in not only taking the time to take care of her and doing the exams," he said.
Lauren is so committed to this issue, she took the extraordinary step of baring herself to show how she does the self-exam.
"If I can help somebody else who goes through this situation get the information that they need, I'll feel like this has been worth it," Albright said.
Albright underwent surgery two weeks ago and is now recovering and preparing to start chemotherapy treatments in a few weeks.
Elizabeth Edwards, one of the most famous breast cancer patients in the entire country, says she applauds ABC 7's decision to air the uncensored breast exam.
"We need to desensitize people about some things," Edwards said. "It really is a health emergency. This is the cancer most likely to strike women. For us to be squeamish about showing people how it is we stop the attack on our individual bodies, I think, is foolhardy. We need to be prepared."
Edwards, 60, the wife of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, found a lump in her own breast five years ago while she was taking a shower.
"It was right, sort of, right here. It was large enough I was surprised I hadn't felt it earlier. But I felt it then," she said. "I did self-examinations, but not monthly. I would do them when I would think about it, honestly."
The cancer returned in 2007, this time stage 4 -- in her bones, inoperable. Edwards wants other women to learn from her mistake, and to make regular self exams a priority.
"If you know your breasts well, then you're going to really be able to identify something that's different -- before it's the size of a plum," she said. When asked if she could caught the lump earlier, she replied, "My doctors tell me not to go there, but my head tells me, of course I could have found it earlier.
"It would have been less likely to have spread to my lymph nodes; therefore less likely to have spread elsewhere in my body, and I could have, by those examinations, perhaps saved myself and my family an enormous amount of pain."
Edwards also said that while women are told over and over to perform self exams, too often they are not shown how. And she said doing them correctly is critical.
ABC 7 News is offering additional help, by hosting a breast health phone bank in partnership with Inova Breast Care Institute on Friday, October 30th. Oncologists and medical professionals known as breast navigators will be on-hand to field questions related to self-examination from noon to 7:00 p.m. The number is (703) 647-1533.
The station will also host a live web-chat at 7:00 p.m. on November 2nd with renowned surgeon Dr. Roger Friedman whose patient list includes Tanya Snyder. Go to wjla.com and a link will appear on the homepage. You can submit questions in advance by e-mailing them to mevans@wjla.com.
ABC 7 has also gathered a list of helpful Web sites, CLICK HERE.
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