Dr Öncel Yakar’s comments

Most women who are taught self-examination use this expression frequently. The reason for this is not that women do not ‘understand anything’ from the examination, but that there is no change in the healthy breast that can be detected by examination. It is aimed for women to get to know their breasts through regular self-examination and to notice any possible changes as soon as possible and consult a specialist without delay.

Breast health plays an important role in every woman’s life. This is based on the facts that breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and that early diagnosis and treatment significantly increase life expectancy thanks to screening methods. While stricter follow-up and examination protocols are applied for women with certain risk factors, women with no risk factors should also have breast screenings regularly. Standard breast screening guidelines recommend that women should perform breast self-examination from the age of 20, and additionally, from the age of 40, breast imaging with clinical examination and mammography once a year. In this section, especially in the twenty-fifth year of her profession and as a female surgeon, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Didem Öncel Yakar answers questions frequently asked by you. We are with you to manage your routine annual screenings and appropriate examination-surgery-treatment processes at our private practice located in Ataşehir-Istanbul.