Self-Check Guide: Breast, Testicles and Skin
Step-by-step monthly self-checks for breasts, testicles and skin moles (the ABCDE rule), the warning signs that need a doctor within two weeks, and a calendar reminder you can add in one tap.
Self-checks help you notice a change early; they do not replace the screening programme you are invited to, and most changes people find are not cancer. Anything new, unusual for you or lasting more than a few weeks should be seen by a doctor.
Talk to your oncology team, GP or a registered dietitian before acting on any number here. They know your history; a calculator does not.
Run through the check
Choose a check, tick each step as you go, and read the warning signs at the end. Nothing you tick leaves your browser.
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Once a month. If you have periods, a few days after they end, when the breasts are least tender; otherwise pick the same day each month. Everyone has breast tissue, including men and trans people, so this applies to you too.
Take your time; the whole check takes a few minutes.
Downloads a small calendar file (.ics) that repeats every month; open it to add the reminder to your phone or computer.
See a doctor if you notice
- A new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit, especially on one side only
- A change in the size, shape or outline of one breast
- Skin dimpling, puckering or an orange-peel texture
- A nipple that has turned inwards or changed position
- A rash, crusting or eczema-like change on or around the nipple
- Fluid from the nipple without squeezing, particularly if it is bloody
- Constant pain in one part of the breast or armpit
- Swelling or a lump above or below the collarbone
Any of these, or anything else that is new for you and does not settle within two to three weeks, deserves an appointment. Most turn out not to be cancer; the ones that are get caught earlier.
How this is calculated
Breast awareness, knowing what is normal for you and reporting changes promptly, is what European guidance recommends. A rigid technique matters less than doing it regularly and knowing the signs.
Steps and warning signs follow the guidance of national cancer charities and dermatology societies. Trials of formal breast self-examination did not lower death rates, which is why European guidance speaks of breast awareness and why self-checks complement, rather than replace, organised screening.
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Why check yourself at all
Most breast, testicular and skin cancers are first noticed by the person themselves or a partner, not by a screening test. Organised screening covers only some cancers, some ages and some countries: mammography for women from about 50, and no population screening at all for testicular cancer or melanoma. Knowing what is normal for your body, and acting on a change within a couple of weeks, is what shortens the time to diagnosis.
Formal, technique-heavy breast self-examination was tested in large trials in Shanghai and Russia and did not reduce deaths, while it did increase biopsies of harmless lumps. European guidance therefore recommends breast awareness rather than a monthly ritual. This guide follows that line: a simple routine, the warning signs, and a clear threshold for seeing a doctor.
What is normal for you
Breasts are naturally lumpy and change through the menstrual cycle, with pregnancy, breastfeeding and the menopause; one is usually a little larger. Testicles differ in size and one hangs lower; the epididymis at the back feels like a soft cord. Moles appear through childhood and early adulthood, may darken in the sun or pregnancy, and can fade with age.
The first two or three checks establish your baseline. After that, the question is never “is this normal?” in the abstract, but “is this new or different for me?” A photograph of a mole, or a note of where a lump is and how big, turns a vague worry into something you and your doctor can compare.
Breast: beyond the lump
About one in six breast cancers is found because of a symptom other than a lump: skin changes, a nipple that turns in, discharge, or a change in size or shape. Inflammatory breast cancer causes redness, warmth and swelling that can be mistaken for an infection; if an antibiotic course does not clear it within a week or two, ask for a referral. Paget disease of the nipple looks like eczema that does not heal.
Men have breast tissue and develop about 1 percent of breast cancers, usually as a painless lump behind the nipple; because they rarely expect it, they present later. Trans men who have not had chest surgery, and trans women on hormones, should check too.
Testicles: a young person’s cancer
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 45 and one of the most curable: more than 95 percent of those diagnosed are alive five years later, and even cancer that has spread is usually cured with chemotherapy. The commonest sign is a painless lump or swelling; a dull ache, heaviness or a sudden hydrocele are others. A lump felt on the testicle itself needs an ultrasound within two weeks; a GP can arrange it directly.
Men with an undescended testicle in childhood, a previous testicular cancer or a brother or father who had it are at higher risk and benefit most from checking.
Skin: sun, moles and the ABCDE rule
Melanoma is the skin cancer that matters most and it is curable when thin. The ABCDE rule (Asymmetry, Border, Colour, Diameter, Evolving) picks out most melanomas; the E is the most important, because a changing mole is always worth a look, whatever its size. The ugly duckling sign, a mole that stands out from your others, catches the rest. Melanoma can also appear where the sun does not reach: soles, palms, under nails and in the mouth or genitals, more often in people with darker skin.
Non-melanoma skin cancers (basal and squamous cell) are far more common and rarely spread, but they grow: a sore that does not heal in four weeks, a pearly bump or a persistent scaly patch should be seen. Euromelanoma, the European dermatologists’ campaign, runs free skin check days in most EU countries each spring.
Questions to ask
Bring the result with you and ask:
- Is this change something you can assess today, or do I need imaging or a specialist?
- How quickly will I get the appointment or scan, and what if it takes longer?
- Given my family history, moles or other risk factors, should I be checked by a specialist regularly?
- Which screening programmes am I entitled to at my age, and am I up to date with them?
- What exactly should make me come back sooner?
Sources and review
Written by the Beat Cancer EU editorial team using the primary sources below, which are also the formulas this tool implements. Last reviewed: September 14, 2026.
- NHS — How should I check my breasts?
- Cancer Research UK — Breast cancer symptoms
- NHS — Testicular cancer: symptoms
- American Academy of Dermatology — What to look for: ABCDEs of melanoma
- Euromelanoma — the European skin cancer prevention campaign
- Thomas DB et al. Randomized trial of breast self-examination in Shanghai: final results. J Natl Cancer Inst 2002 (PubMed)
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