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Breast Cancer Awareness: Early Detection Saves Lives

by SOFHA
Monday, Oct 6, 2025

At State of Franklin Healthcare Associates (SOFHA), we provide preventive care, education, and compassionate support to help keep our community healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States. The best protection is early detection—which is why annual mammograms, self-awareness, and routine healthcare visits are so important.

Why Breast Cancer Awareness Matters

The CDC emphasizes that breast cancer doesn’t always cause symptoms in its early stages, which is why routine breast cancer screenings are so important. When breast cancer is found early, treatment is more likely to be successful.

Common symptoms of breast cancer, according to the CDC, include:

  • A lump or thickening in the breast or underarm
  • Changes in breast size or shape
  • Unexplained pain in the breast or nipple
  • Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood
  • Changes in the skin of the breast, such as dimpling or redness

If you notice any of these changes, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider right away.

How to Perform a Monthly Breast Self-Exam

While mammograms are the most effective screening method, the CDC encourages women to know what is normal for their breasts. This way, you can recognize changes more quickly. Many women choose to perform monthly breast self-exams to stay familiar with their own breast health.

Tips for self-checks:

Step 1: Look at Your Breasts in the Mirror

Stand undressed from the waist up in front of a mirror with your shoulders straight and arms on your hips.

Look for:

  • Shape and size: Are both breasts their usual size and shape?
  • Skin changes: Any dimpling, puckering, redness, rash, or swelling?
  • Nipple changes: Any inversion (pulled in), discharge, or rash?

Next:

  • Raise your arms overhead and look for the same changes.
  • Check for fluid coming out of one or both nipples (watery, milky, yellow, or bloody).

Step 2: Feel for Changes While Standing or Sitting

Many women find it easiest to do this in the shower because wet, soapy skin helps your fingers glide smoothly.

  • Use the pads of your three middle fingers, not the tips.
  • Press with different levels of pressure:
    • Light pressure for the tissue just beneath the skin.
    • Medium pressure for tissue in the middle of the breast.
    • Firm pressure for deep tissue near the chest and ribs.
  • Follow a pattern to ensure the entire breast is checked:
    • Circular motion: Start at the outer edge and move in circles toward the nipple.
    • Up-and-down motion (vertical strips): Move from the collarbone down to the top of your abdomen, then over to the side near your armpit.
  • Don’t forget to check all the way into the armpit since breast tissue extends there.

Step 3: Feel for Changes While Lying Down

When lying down, breast tissue spreads out evenly, making it easier to feel deep tissue.

  • Place a pillow under your right shoulder and put your right arm behind your head.
  • Use your left hand to examine your right breast, using the same three levels of pressure and systematic pattern.
  • Switch sides and repeat for the left breast.

If you notice a lump, thickening, or any unusual change, schedule an appointment right away. Most changes are not cancer, but it’s always safest to get checked.

Mammograms

The CDC recommends mammograms as the best tool for detecting breast cancer early. For many women, screening begins between ages 40–50, but your personal and family history may affect when and how often you should be screened.

At SOFHA, we provide digital mammography and 3D mammograms, offering clearer, more detailed imaging for accurate results.

SOFHA’s Comprehensive Breast Center

Our Comprehensive Breast Center is designed to provide women in Johnson City and the Tri-Cities region with compassionate, convenient, and state-of-the-art breast health care. We offer:

  • Digital mammography and 3D mammograms for precise imaging
  • On-site diagnostic services, including breast ultrasound and biopsy
  • Personalized treatment planning for patients with abnormal results
  • Supportive care from a multidisciplinary team of providers

By choosing SOFHA, you don’t just get medical testing, you gain a team committed to your long-term health and well-being.

Partnering in Your Care

At SOFHA, breast cancer awareness is more than an October campaign—it’s a year-round mission. Our goal is to give every patient access to early detection, advanced breast cancer care, and the support they deserve.

Call SOFHA today to schedule your mammogram or learn more about our Comprehensive Breast Center. For more information, visit sofha.org/service/comprehensive-breast-center/.

Posted in Health & Wellness