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If any of the following pertain to you, contact your primary care provider
a breast lump or thickening, often without pain
change in size, shape or appearance of the breast
dimpling, redness, pitting or other changes in the skin
change in nipple appearance or the skin surrounding the nipple (areola)
abnormal or bloody fluid from the nipple.
Lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of breast cancer
You may choose to become familiar with your breasts by occasionally inspecting them during a breast self-exam.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink to no more than one drink a day, if you choose to drink.
Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. If you haven't been active lately, ask a healthcare professional whether it's OK and start slowly.
Limit menopausal hormone therapy. Combination hormone therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer. Talk with a healthcare professional about the benefits and risks of hormone therapy.
Next steps: Screenings
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Breast exam: During a clinical breast exam, a healthcare professional looks at the breasts for anything that's not typical. This might include changes in the skin or to the nipple. Then the health professional feels the breasts for lumps. The health professional also feels along the collarbones and around the armpits for lumps.
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Mammogram: A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast tissue. Mammograms are commonly used to screen for breast cancer. If a screening mammogram finds something concerning, you might have another mammogram to look at the area more closely. This more-detailed mammogram is called a diagnostic mammogram. It's often used to look closely at both breasts.
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Breast ultrasound: Ultrasound uses sound waves to make pictures of structures inside the body. A breast ultrasound may give your healthcare team more information about a breast lump. The healthcare team uses this information to decide what tests you might need next.
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Removing a sample of breast cells for testing: A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. To get the sample, a healthcare professional puts a needle through the skin and into the breast tissue.
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Testing the cells in the lab: tissue sample from a biopsy goes to a lab for testing. Tests can show whether the cells in the sample are cancerous. Other tests give information about the type of cancer and how quickly it's growing .