2 easy-to-miss body parts to check for breast cancer, according to a doctor

• A breast cancer specialist said that there are two easy-to-miss body parts to check for breast cancer.
• Squeeze the nipple and check the armpit for lumps during self-examination, Dr. Marleen Meyers said.

People often miss their nipples and armpits when checking for breast cancer, a specialist in the disease told Insider.

As well as assessing your breasts for changes, it's also important to make sure you squeeze the nipples and check your armpits, Dr. Marleen Meyers, a breast medical oncologist at NYU Langone, said.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the US — one in eight women will develop it in their lives, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). About 339,250 women will get diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and around 2.5% will die from it, it states.

People are advised to examine their breasts periodically so they become familiar with them and can notice any changes. But the nipples and armpits often get overlooked, Meyers, also a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone, said.

Look out for discharge when checking your nipples

"It's much more difficult to examine the nipple for lumps and bumps, but what you can do is gently squeeze the nipple to see if there is any discharge," Meyers said.

Meyers said nipple discharge is not always caused by cancer, for example women who are lactating after having a child may have it.

"But if postmenopausal women have nipple discharge, then they should seek medical attention," she said.

Don't forget the 'tail of the breast'

Meyers said that people can forget to feel under their arms to check the "tail of the breast."

"We all know that breast tissue is predominant of course on the chest wall, but the breast tissue itself is actually a little bit more of a teardrop, with the tail or the end of the breast extending close to the armpit," she said.

Meyers said that the lymph nodes under the armpit can swell for other reasons, for example temporarily after a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meyers said that if there is a lump in the region above the collarbone, then it could be an indication of breast cancer that has spread to lymph nodes other than those under the arm. But it would be "very uncommon" to feel something in the collarbone without changes to the breast, and more likely to be caused by a viral infection, she said.

Check your breasts periodically

Meyers said that there we no hard and fast rules as to how often people should check their breasts, but recommended that pre-menopausal people do it in the middle of their menstrual cycle.

"Just be aware of your breasts and periodically examine them," she said.

Meyers recommended palpating the breasts with the pads of the fingers, not the fingertips, and to be systematic to ensure all areas of the breast are covered.

A nipple becoming inverted, a difference in breast size, or any pain, tenderness, or redness are symptoms that should be checked as soon as possible by a doctor, Meyers said.

"It's very important to be aware of what your breasts feel like, but to not panic" if there are any changes, Meyers said.

Benign lumps can feel the same as cancerous ones, and consistency can change throughout a person's cycle, and as people get older, she said.

Check yourself while looking in a mirror

Meyers said that people can check themselves in the shower, while lying down with their hands above their head, or in front of the mirror.

"What I encourage my patients to do is just to start by standing in front of a mirror and inspecting their breast, looking at the nipples, looking at the skin, looking at the size. Is there anything that feels or looks different to them?" she said, adding: "The most important thing about that is to make sure that you're not rushed and that you have time to do this."