Breast cancer — your questions, answered clearly.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in India. National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMR) data place it at the top of all female cancers, and it now affects women in cities and villages alike, with higher rates in urban areas.

The encouraging part: when it is found early, breast cancer is among the most treatable of all cancers — which is what makes awareness and timely checks so worthwhile.

See a breast specialist if you notice any of these — even if there is no pain:

• a new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit
• a change in the size or shape of a breast
• skin dimpling, puckering, or an “orange-peel” texture
• a nipple that newly turns inward, or skin changes around it
• blood-stained or spontaneous nipple discharge
• a persistent rash, redness, or non-healing sore on the nipple or skin

Most of these turn out to be harmless — but only an examination can tell for certain.

The strongest factors are ones you cannot change — being a woman and growing older. Others include a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, inherited gene changes (such as BRCA1/BRCA2), starting periods early or reaching menopause late, having children later or not at all, previous radiation to the chest, and dense breast tissue.

Lifestyle factors that modestly raise risk include excess weight after menopause, alcohol, and physical inactivity. Remember: having risk factors does not mean you will get breast cancer — and many women who are diagnosed have none at all.

No — most breast lumps are not cancer. Fibroadenomas, cysts, and normal hormonal changes are common, especially in younger women. But because a lump cannot be judged safe by feel alone, any new or persistent lump should be examined by a doctor.

Current guidance favours breast awareness over a rigid monthly ritual — simply knowing how your breasts normally look and feel, so you notice anything new. Large studies have not shown that formal monthly self-exams reduce deaths, and they can lead to needless anxiety and biopsies.

So: get familiar with your own breasts and report any change promptly. Self-examination is a way to build that familiarity — not a substitute for clinical examination and screening.

That said, in India self-examination carries added weight: there is no organised, population-wide mammography programme, so a woman's own awareness is often what catches a change first. Dr Khare encourages every patient to know what is normal for her and to bring anything new to attention early.

If you do a self-check, the best time is 3–5 days after your period ends, when breasts are least tender; after menopause, pick a fixed day each month so it is easy to remember.

Look in a mirror for changes in shape or skin, then feel the whole breast and the armpit using the flat of your fingers. The goal is familiarity, not a perfect technique.

Don't panic — but don't wait. Most changes are harmless, yet every new lump or persistent change deserves a clinical breast examination. Book an appointment — with Dr Khare's clinic or any breast specialist — rather than watching it for months: early evaluation is simple, and if anything is wrong, early treatment works best.

International (NCCN) guidance recommends an annual mammogram from age 40 for women at average risk — the schedule linked to the greatest reduction in deaths.

India's own national programme (NP-NCD) takes a different route: women aged 30 to 69 are screened by clinical breast examination (CBE) rather than mass mammography, because that is what can realistically reach every woman.

Dr Khare weighs both — pairing clinical examination with mammography when it is right for you — to build a screening plan around your age, risk, and circumstances rather than a one-size-fits-all rule.

A CBE is an examination of both breasts and the armpits by a trained health professional, looking and feeling for lumps or changes. It is the backbone of India's screening programme — quick, painless, and needing no special equipment, which is why it can reach women everywhere.

A mammogram is a low-dose breast X-ray. For women at average risk, NCCN recommends an annual mammogram starting at age 40. (India's public programme screens with clinical examination rather than routine mammography, but your doctor may recommend mammography for you individually.)

A mammogram is also used to investigate any symptom or abnormal finding — at any age.

Dense breast tissue both slightly raises risk and makes mammograms harder to read. For some women, doctors add ultrasound (or MRI for those at higher risk) alongside mammography. Whether you need this depends on your overall risk — discuss it with your doctor.

Yes. Women at high risk — for example BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers or those with a strong family history — follow an intensified schedule. NCCN recommends a clinical breast exam every 6–12 months and an annual breast MRI from age 25, with an annual mammogram added from age 30.

If you have a strong family history, ask your doctor about genetic counselling and a personalised plan.

A biopsy means taking a small tissue sample to look at under the microscope — it is the only way to know for certain whether a lump is cancer. The usual method is a core-needle biopsy, done with local anaesthetic in the clinic; it is not an operation.

Being advised a biopsy does not mean you have cancer — it means the finding needs a definite answer.

Yes — early-stage breast cancer is highly treatable and often curable. Outcomes are best when the cancer is small and has not spread, which is exactly why awareness, clinical examination, and the timely evaluation of any change matter so much.

In many cases the breast can be saved. Breast-conserving surgery — removing the tumour with a margin of healthy tissue — followed by radiotherapy gives survival equal to removing the whole breast (mastectomy) for suitable cancers.

Which option is right depends on the tumour's size and location, your breast size, and your own wishes. Dr Khare's aim is always to preserve the breast wherever it is oncologically safe to do so — a decision you reach together, never rushed.

Yes. Decades of evidence show that breast-conserving surgery with radiotherapy has the same long-term survival as mastectomy for appropriately selected patients. Mastectomy is not “safer” — it is simply the better choice in certain situations.

Oncoplasty combines cancer removal with plastic-surgery techniques to reshape the breast in the same operation — so the tumour is removed completely while a natural appearance is preserved. It is considered a form of breast-conserving surgery.

This is an area of special expertise for Dr Khare, who is highly trained in oncoplastic techniques and works to balance the two priorities that matter most — complete oncological safety and a natural, symmetrical result. Where it helps, the other breast can be reshaped too, so the two match.

Reconstruction rebuilds the breast shape after mastectomy, using either an implant or the body's own tissue (a flap). It can be done immediately — at the same time as the cancer surgery — or delayed, months to years later.

Both are valid choices; Dr Khare and his team plan the timing and method together with you — around your treatment, your body, and what matters to you.