According to leading breast cancer surgeon Associate Professor Sanjay Warrier, COVID-19 has scared a lot of people away from going to the doctors. As a result, a lot of issues that would normally be detected through general check ups are going undetected and unchecked.
“A lot of women are postponing doing self-breast examinations until the pandemic eases, when they are more comfortable to visit a doctor and day-to-day life is less stressful. While women should be doing self-breast examinations every week, the reality is that many women forget or simply put it off until they have more time. Therefore, this is an important time to remind women about what to do if they feel something unusual in their breast,” Associate Professor Warrier said.
“Undertaking self-examinations and booking in for mammograms shouldn’t ever be put on hold, however people are avoiding talking to health professionals who might diagnose something even more stressful than the current state of the world.”
According to Associate Professor Warrier, women afraid of going to the doctors at this time are also postponing getting breast-lumps checked until ‘after COVID-19’, putting their lives at risk.
“People don’t like bad news, and at the moment they’re feeling consumed by it. I’ve spoken to women who say they felt a lump on their breasts throughout lockdown, but decided to wait until they felt more comfortable going to the doctors to get an expert opinion,” Associate Professor Warrier said.
“You want to reduce your human contact as much as possible, and you don’t want to think about any other potential health problems when a lot of the world is deeply suffering from coronavirus. I get it. This approach is emotionally understandable, but I wouldn’t advise it. As soon as you feel something, get it checked the same or next day if you can. While the majority of lumps are not sinister, it’s worth getting it checked straight away.
“Like most problems with the human body, breast cancer is easier to treat when found early. Leaving it until ‘after COVID-19’ could be putting your life at risk. If you feel a lump, talk to your doctor immediately. If you adopt this attitude throughout your life, you’ve just won round one in the fight against breast cancer.”
According to Associate Professor Warrier, ‘leaving it until after COVID-19’ is a bad strategy for any area of health, not just breast health. He believes that the desire to avoid more bad news is a common, but dangerous part of human psychology.
“I urge women to be more proactive and conduct self examinations, as well as going to see their doctor immediately if something does not seem right or to book their biennial mammogram. If you leave it until later, you may have turned bad news into even worse news,” Associate Professor Warrier said.
“Your health should be your top priority. Unfortunately, I worry that this will make more sense to women after the pandemic, not during it!”
Associate Professor Warrier has put together some tips for women on breast health for the current climate.
- Undertake regular self-examinations regardless of what the world is looking like
- If you are due for a more thorough examination, book in to see your doctor
- Do not postpone any annual breast screening appointment such as a mammogram. Try and have this done as soon as you can
- Inform your doctor if you need to self-isolate and let them know when you will be able to come into the clinic or coordinate an over-the-phone consultation
- Check your health insurance coverage while you are spending more time at home to ensure it covers all types of scenarios
- If you discover a lump or encounter any breast related issues while you are self-isolating at home, contact your doctor immediately. Your doctor will be able to assist you over the phone and help you to work out what steps to take
CANCEROUS LUMPS vs HARMLESS LUMPS
Associate Professor Warrier believes that women need to be informed about breast health from an early age. According to him, there is no need to panic if you’re informed.
“A lot of women assume that a breast lump is a sign that they have breast cancer, but the majority of the time, that’s not the case. Breast lumps can be an abscess, a cyst or an adenoma. Cancerous lumps often feel harder and more firm than the average lump – a walnut shape,” Associate Professor Warrier said.
“Benign breast lumps also tend to have smoother edges than cancerous lumps, which tend to be sharper and irregular. Cancerous lumps also tend to feel like they are a part of your skin, whereas harmless lumps can often be moved around within the breast.
“If you feel a lump, don’t panic. Most lumps are easily curable, and a lot of them just go away by themselves. Still, it’s always worth coming in for a professional breast examination, especially if you’ve never felt a lump before.
“Half the benefit of seeking a breast expert’s opinion is the education you receive after it. A good doctor will teach you what to look for, and how to tell the difference between a concerning lump and a harmless one.”
Associate Professor Sanjay Warrier is the immediate past President and current committee member of Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand (BreastSurgANZ). His views are those of his own, not BreastSurgANZ. Associate Professor Warrier’s surgery is located at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. He is published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and won the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s Patron’s Prize for best scientific research.