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Science Study of nearly 400,000 women: breast self-exam may not help
Science Study of nearly 400,000 women: breast self-exam may not help | Study of nearly 400,000 women: breast self-exam may not help |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Sunday, 20 July 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 3 Dr. David B. Thomas, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington, Seattle, headed one of the two studies. The Thomas study involved over 250,000 Chinese women, which was published in 2002. Featured Whitepaper
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Science DiscussionsHe adds, “The price you pay for doing more thorough breast exams is you’re going to find more benign lesions and that will result in unnecessary surgical procedures, and “Women in their 20s and 30s rarely get breast cancer. But they do have a lot more benign lumps and bumps. It’s not worth emphasizing breast self-exams for women at this age.” And, Thomas, continues, “When women are in their 40s, it’s a good time for them to become more aware of their breasts and more aware of changes that might be due to breast cancer. It’s kind of controversial as to whether it’s worth the screening — either BSEs or mammograms — but they can do both if they want.” The CC report also made this statement: "Breast cancer is a common cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in women. Breast self-examination (examination of the breasts by the individual) or clinical breast examination (examination of the breasts by a doctor or a nurse) have been promoted for many years as screening methods to diagnose breast cancer at an early stage, in order to decrease the risk of dying from breast cancer. This review searched for well-designed trials that assessed these methods and found two large population-based studies involving 388,535 women who compared breast self-examination with no intervention." It added, "The review of data from these trials did not find a beneficial effect of screening in terms of improvement in breast cancer mortality. The trials showed that women who were randomised to breast self-examination were almost twice as likely to undergo a biopsy of the breast, with 3406 biopsies performed in the screening group compared to 1856 biopsies in the control group. The only large population-based trial of clinical breast examination combined with breast self-examination that was identified was discontinued. This was because of poor compliance with follow up and no conclusions can be drawn from the study." And, it concludes, "Some women will continue with breast self-examination or will wish to be taught the technique. We suggest that the lack of supporting evidence from the two major studies should be discussed with these women to enable them to make an informed decision. Women should, however, be aware of any breast changes. It is possible that increased breast awareness may have contributed to the decrease in mortality from breast cancer that has been noted in some countries. Women should, therefore, be encouraged to seek medical advice if they detect any change in their breasts that may be breast cancer." The debate about the use of BSE or not will continue. Please read page three for more information. |
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