The recent release of a major study examining the value of women’s breast self-exams left some upset and others, no doubt, confused. After years of being told that self-exams could save lives, women are now being told by some that the scientific data just aren’t there to back up those earlier claims.
Tell that to cancer patients who discovered lumps in their breasts and are still alive to talk about it.
There’s no need to dismiss the findings of the lengthy study involving more than 260,000 female Chinese factory workers. The women were taught how to check their breasts for lumps. And researchers concluded that teaching breast self-examination doesn’t decrease the number of breast-cancer deaths. These researchers aren’t alone in their findings or conclusions. The National Cancer Institute says that studies haven’t proven self-exams alone reduce the number of deaths.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t help some women. We know it already has. What it means is that women shouldn’t rely on self-exams as the only source of testing. It also means women must learn how to do the test correctly.
We like the "triple play" suggested by Dr. Thomas Smith of Providence Everett Medical Center: breast self-exams, clinical breast exams and routine mammography. That also is the recommendation of the American Cancer Society.
Other organizations, such as the National Breast Cancer Coalition, suggest women should be told the risks and benefits of self-exams. The organization claims some data suggest the exam can increase the number of benign lumps detected, anxiety over such findings, visits to the doctor and unnecessary biopsies. That doesn’t seem like much of a risk to a woman who needs to know for sure whether a lump in her breast is cancerous.
Perhaps the real risk is that women will rely solely on the self-exam or do it incorrectly and miss something suspicious. Both lead to a false sense of security that doesn’t benefit any woman — or man, for that matter. Yes, men can get breast cancer, too.
We all must do what we can to optimize our own health. That means taking good care of ourselves and asking questions of our doctors. Every woman is different. Some women may need mammography at an earlier age than others. Others may be able to rely on self-exams and clinical exams until they reach a certain age. That is something to be discussed and arranged with a doctor.
Until scientists find a cure for breast cancer or a better early detection system, thorough breast self-exams, along with visits to the doctor, are the best tools we have to protect ourselves.
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