Clinical breast exam

Clinical breast exam

A clinical breast exam (CBE) is an exam of your breasts by a health care professional,
such as a doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse, or doctor's assistant. For this exam, you
undress from the waist up. The health care professional will first look at your breasts for
abnormalities in size or shape, or changes in the skin of the breasts or nipple. Then, using
the pads of the fingers, the examiner will gently feel (palpate) your breasts.
Special attention will be given to the shape and texture of the breasts, location of any
lumps, and whether such lumps are attached to the skin or to deeper tissues. The area
under both arms will also be examined.
The CBE is a good time for women who don't know how to examine their breasts to learn
the proper technique from their health care professionals. Ask your doctor or nurse to
teach you and watch your technique.
Breast awareness and self exam
Beginning in their 20s, women should be told about the benefits and limitations of breast
self-exam (BSE). Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and
report any new breast changes to a health professional as soon as they are found. Finding
a breast change does not necessarily mean there is a cancer.
A woman can notice changes by being aware of how her breasts normally look and feel
and by feeling her breasts for changes (breast awareness), or by choosing to use a stepby-
step approach (see below) and using a specific schedule to examine her breasts.
If you choose to do BSE, the information below is a step-by-step approach for the exam.
The best time for a woman to examine her breasts is when the breasts are not tender or
swollen. Women who examine their breasts should have their technique reviewed during
their periodic health exams by their health care professional.
Women with breast implants can do BSE, too. It may be helpful to have the surgeon help
identify the edges of the implant so that you know what you are feeling. There is some
thought that the implants push out the breast tissue and may actually make it easier to
examine. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can also choose to examine thei

breasts regularly.
It is acceptable for women to choose not to do BSE or to do BSE once in a while. Women
who choose not to do BSE should still be aware of the normal look and feel of their
breasts and report any changes to their doctor right away.