As we are fast approaching October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, we wanted to focus on some of the tools available to patients to help them understand what breast cancer can look and feel like. The picture above is the Know Your Lemons poster that was created by the Worldwide Breast Cancer organization to help represent the many varieties of cancerous growths that can present as breast cancer. Each lemon represents a breast and features abnormalities associated with cancerous growths, from the sudden presence of a thick mass or a small bump to recently developed dimples or a new indentation.
Some of the lemons' ailments are obvious and visually alter the skin, while others are a bit less conspicuous. While all 12 lemons can illustrate cancerous tissue growths, they also can all be benign. The important lesson to learn from the Know Your Lemons poster is how to recognize when something may not be quite right in order to take action as soon as possible, as time does matter when dealing with cancer. The earlier detection occurs, the quicker diagnosis and treatment, if necessary, can take place.
The Worldwide Breast Cancer organization also has several other infographics about early breast cancer detection and what to look for when performing self-breast exams, again using a lemon to represent the breast. For more infographics and information on what you can do as a patient and survivor to promote early detection of lumps and bumps, please visit:
https://www.worldwidebreastcancer.org/