Episode Transcript
Announcer: Medical news and research from University of Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life. You're listening to The Scope.
Dr. Miller: Self-breast exams can be a very important part of preventing breast cancer, at least detecting it early enough that it doesn't become as big of an issue as it might. We're with Jenna Andrus and Karen O'Toole from Huntsman Cancer Institute. They're in the Patient and Public Education Department, here to talk about an app called Check Yourself. I think that the app says it all, but let's talk about it a little bit further. Jenna, what is Check Yourself?
Jenna: So Check Yourself is a free app that you can download onto your phone that basically provides some instruction on how to perform a self breast exam and then will establish some reminders to do it on a monthly basis.
Dr. Miller: And Karen, tell us a little bit about the app that you know. Did women seem to like it? Is it an effective app? Is it a good app?
Karen: I think it's a very easy, simple app to use. It shows you at the very beginning mirror mirror. So one of the most important things to do is to look at yourself in the mirror, and if you're not going to do a breast exam . . . But at least look at yourself and know your breasts.
Dr. Miller: And it tells you what to look for?
Karen: Yes, it does.
Dr. Miller: Okay, great.
Karen: I think most women find a lot of lumps in the breast and I think that's really frightening. And this doesn't go through what you're looking for. It just shows you how to do it. And that's the whole point of the app, is to get to know your breasts.
Dr. Miller: And how about the reminder portion? That sounds like that could be really useful because a month can go by pretty quickly.
Jenna: Yeah, you're right. It's amazing how you can just quickly forget how time flies. So the reminder, you can set it up to email you every month or also to text you, so you have both of those options there. And it's pretty nonintrusive so you can set it up pretty easily.
Dr. Miller: One of the things about any app is, is this legitimate? Is it based on actual science, best information? Karen, is this app based on those things? What's your feeling on that?
Karen: Yes.
Dr. Miller: It is.
Karen: Yes, it certainly is.
Dr. Miller: Yeah, so it's an app that a woman could trust.
Karen: Yes.
Dr. Miller: What would be the most important thing to take away from this conversation? I'm going to start with you, Jenna.
Jenna: Yeah, I think just to be aware of your body overall and, like we've mentioned, be aware of your breasts and changes in them and then particularly to talk to your doctor if you are concerned about something, which the app does clarify at the end. If you do have something that is concerning, please talk to your doctor because we know that not all lumps mean that it's breast cancer.
Karen: I think what Jenna said is right on, just becoming familiar with your own breasts and know the lumps and bumps and which breast is bigger than the other and what's normal for you. And that's going to be different.
Dr. Miller: Do you find a lot of women don't know these things? I would think that they would.
Karen: No, I think a lot of women are frightened or they just forget. And I think this app is good for that reason.
Jenna: It's really important to talk to your doctor about it.
Karen: Yes.
Jenna: So if you're not comfortable doing it, be sure that you see your doctor once a year to have them perform just the exam in their office to help do that screening for you. And of course, if they see anything that is concerning, they're going to refer you to some further diagnostic testing.
Dr. Miller: So whether it's you or somebody else, this is just something that you should be doing.
Jenna: Yeah, yeah.
Karen: And with all the screening guidelines out there, again, it's really important to talk to your doctor because a lot depends on your family history. And if you do have a history of breast cancer, it changes as far as screening goes.
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