BREAST EXAMINATION TECHNIQUES

Course overview

THE ABILITY TO PERFORM A THOROUGH AND ACCURATE BREAST EXAM IS AN IMPORTANT SKILL FOR MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS OF MANY LEVELS AND ACROSS MANY SPECIALTIES. A CLINICAL BREAST EXAM IS A KEY STEP IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND SURVEILLANCE OF A NUMBER OF BENIGN AND MALIGNANT BREAST DISEASES. WHEN USED AS PART OF A MULTIMODAL EVALUATION, THE BREAST EXAM PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT IS UTILIZED IN BOTH THE WORKUP AND MANAGEMENT OF MANY DISEASES OF THE BREAST. CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BREAST CANCER SCREENING INTERVALS AND TESTS VARY; HOWEVER, MANY GUIDELINES AGREE THAT A CLINICAL BREAST EXAM IS WARRANTED FOR WOMEN WITH ABNORMAL FINDINGS ON MAMMOGRAPHY AND AS PART OF ANNUAL SCREENING FOR CERTAIN GROUPS OF WOMEN AT INCREASED RISK FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE CURRENT GUIDELINES FOR THE BREAST EXAM AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE DETECTION OF BREAST MASSES.