Exams a Must for Detecting Breast Cancer

Do it in the shower. Do it while getting ready for bed. Just do it once a month.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so it's a good time to get familiar with your breasts. Look for lumps, changes in size, shape or feel, and to see if there is any fluid.

All women should know their breasts and surrounding areas so they can be aware of changes, the American Cancer Society recommends.

“I encourage all of you to become an expert about the way your breasts look and feel so you can detect any subtle changes. After all, it’s our body, and we are the ones who have to live with whatever goes wrong with it,” said Jennie Yoon Buchanan, Medical Director of Women’s Imaging Services at Florida Hospitals.

Dr. Michael Schultz, head of The Breast Center at in Towson, said the disease strikes one in eight women in this country.

"We know that by 2030, one in five women will live having had breast cancer," Schultz said.

But Schultz has hope for those who may suffer from the disease.

"It is treatable, it's curable, it's not a death sentence."

It’s even more important that women in their 20s see a doctor for a Clinical Breast Exam every three years—and once a year after turning 40. Most doctors recommend annual mammograms for women 40 and older. Higher risk men and women should see their doctors more often.

Baltimore County's Women's Cancer Protection Program and St. Joseph's Medical Center are providing free screenings.