• Monthly BSE (breast self-examination) performed after each menstrual period for women over age 20; performed on the same day each month for postmenopausal women. 
• Regular breast examination by a physician or nurse practitioner every three years for women ages 20 to 39; every year for women over age 40.
• Mammography – Women should a have a mammogram every year after age 40, according to the American Cancer Society. This low dose X-ray can reveal tumors years before they can be felt.

Ultrasound converts the interior of the breast into an image or sonogram. Sonograms of the breast can help evaluate some lumps that are hard to see on a mammogram, especially in the dense breasts of young women. However ultrasound is not helpful in detection of microcalcifications or small tumors.

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET scanning), and laser beam scanning are still in the research stage.

Mammatone technology is a non-surgical breast biopsy option. The mammatone needle gives an accurate and precise biopsy through guided imagery, and multiple samples may be obtained with one small incision.