Creating Awareness

If you are an adult woman we encourage you to perform breast self-exams at least once a month. These infographics show you what to look for when performing such an exam, but it also highly suggested that you do regular mammograms and/or ultrasounds to detect breast cancer at an early stage. Should you notice anything suspicious during your self-exam, including a change in the shape or size of your breast, an inverted nipple or pain and itching in your breast area, consult your family doctor immediately.

Be Aware

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women but it can also affect men. In Malta, 343 adults are diagnosed with cancer a year, 3 of whom are men.
While the causes are not yet fully understood, research shows that you can lower the risk of developing the disease by minimising lifestyle and environmental risk factors and through breast screening.

Known risk factors of breast cancer include:

• Gender: More than 99% of breast cancer cases occur in women
• Age: The older you are the higher your risk
• Early menstruation: Before age 12
• Late menopause: After age 55
• Child-bearing age: Having your first baby after the age of 30
• Never having had children
• Having a close family member with breast cancer
• Being physically inactive
• Being overweight

Possible risk factors include:

• Not eating enough fruit and vegetables
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Never having breastfed
• Smoking and smoke exposure
• Using birth control pills