In France, 60,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. One in 9 women will develop it in her lifetime, and 1 in 27 will die from it. Though often treatable, breast cancer remains a violent disease for those affected. Alongside regular gynecologist visits, self-exams empower women to detect abnormal lumps early—and early detection dramatically improves outcomes. Drawing from her own experience, Cynthia, a 36-year-old TikTok creator and survivor, demonstrates proven techniques based on guidelines from the League Against Cancer.
In her video “How to Detect Cancer Yourself (Self-Examination),” Cynthia walks through the steps: “Today I’m going to show you how to self-palpate. That’s how I found my cancer.” She discovered her cancer in 2016 at age 31 during a shower. “I walked out with no idea where to go or which hospital to choose,” she shared with HuffPost Life. After mastectomy, chemotherapy, and reconstruction, she’s been cured for five years. Yet women often feel abandoned post-awareness campaigns. “Pink October tells us to ‘feel up, feel out,’ but then what? I’m just condensing the League Against Cancer’s site—people don’t read long pages,” she told HuffPost Life.
“Use the flat of your three middle fingers, arms at sides: Make circles from outside to inside, roll and press around the breast. Start gently, then firmly. Squeeze the nipple for leaks. Repeat with arm raised behind head: circles around the breast, squeeze nipple, check armpit, collarbone, and neck. Do both breasts, plus lying down.” Cynthia advises starting at 20 years old, monthly, at least three days after menstruation, for five minutes—performed “carefully.”
