Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Diagnosing Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer is best treated as early as possible. If you suspect you might have breast cancer, seeing the doctor right away for a check up is best. To understand whether your symptoms are caused by cancer or another condition, your doctor will do a physical exam, breast exam and may also perform one or more diagnostic exams. These diagnostic exams include:

  • Mammogram – a Mammogram is an image-screening test that allows the doctor to see under the surface of the breast. This allows for unusual spots to be detected but may need an additional test to confirm when spotted through a mammogram. Most women over 40 get annual mammogram checks. 
  • Ultrasound – Doctors often use an ultrasound to help diagnose breast conditions. An ultrasound creates images using sound waves that are bounced off body tissue. An ultrasound can help to distinguish between a mass (such as a tumor) and other, non-cancerous breast conditions like cysts. 
  • Biopsy – there are plenty of different kinds of biopsies. These tests take a sample of the tissue suspected and test it for being cancerous or not. 

Stages of Cancer 

It is also important for the stage of the cancer to be diagnosed, starting at least severe 0 to most severe at 4. The severity is measured by the size of the tumour and if it has spread. 

Factors to diagnose the stage include:

  • If the cancer is invasive or noninvasive
  • The size of the tumour 
  • If the cancer has traveled to or effected the lymph nodes 
  • If the cancer has spread to other organs  

Stage 0

Stage 0 Cancer is known as Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). This means that the cancer is bound to the ductal tissue of the breast and has not spread anywhere else. It is a noninvasive cancer. 

Stage 1 

  • Stage 1A – the cancer tumour is small (2cm or less) and has not spread to lymph nodes or other areas
  • Stage 1B – cancerous cells have been found in and around the lymph nodes and/or breast tissue. There is no tumor in the breast or the tumour is small, 2cm or less.

Stage 2 

  • Stage 2A – This is when the tumour is still small (2cm or less) and has spread to 1-3 lymph nodes or when no lymph nodes have been infected but the cancer is 2-5cm size 
  • Stage 2B – The tumour is 2-5cm and has spread to axillary lymph nodes (armpit lymph nodes), or it is larger than 5cm and has not spread. 

Stage 3 

  • Stage 3A – The cancer tumour can be any size and has spread to 4-9 axillary lymph nodes or swollen mammary lymph nodes. Or has spread to 1-3 axillary nodes or any breastbone nodes and the tumour is more than 5cm in size. 
  • Stage 3B – is determined when the cancer has affected the skin or walls of chest tissue, or infected up to 9 lymph nodes. The tumour can be any size. 
  • Stage 3C – Cancer has invaded chest walls and skin of breast and spread to 10 or more lymph nodes. This stage of cancer is also subdivided into operable and inoperable. Operable meaning lymph nodes affected are below the collarbone and inoperable when lymph nodes above the collar bone have been affected. 

Stage 4 

At Stage 4 a tumour can be any size, a number of lymph nodes are affected and the cancer has spread to other organs such as lungs, brain, skin. 

Our Offer to You

Fill in our online questionnaire for free – and save the $135 it would cost you to do this detailed medical history in person with a practitioner.  You can request a phone call from a practitioner after they have read your online form, or just book your initial exam for $40.  Call us on 07 846 7956 to book, or fill in the questionnaire now.

References:

https://www.healthline.com/health/breast-cancer

https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-staging/

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.