Breast self-examination

Breast self-examination (BSE) is a screening method used in an attempt to detect early breast cancer. The method involves the woman herself looking at and feeling each breast for possible lumps, distortions or swelling.According to a meta-analysis in the Cochrane Collaboration, two large trials in Russia and Shanghai found no beneficial effects of screening by breast self-examination 'but do suggest increased harm in terms of increased numbers of benign lesions identified and an increased number of biopsies performed'. They concluded, 'At present, screening by breast self-examination or physical examination cannot be recommended.'A variety of methods and patterns are used in breast self-exams. Most methods suggest that the woman stand in front of a mirror with the torso exposed to view. She looks in the mirror for visual signs of dimpling, swelling, or redness on or near the breasts. This is usually repeated in several positions, such as while having hands on the hips, and then again with arms held overhead.The World Health Organization, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, and many other scientific organizations recommend against the use of breast self-examinations. Also, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners states that teaching women to perform breast self-examination is no longer recommended. In the US, however, there is no consensus among organizations related to breast self-examination as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Medical Association recommend monthly breast self-examination while the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the US Preventative Services Task Force, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network neither recommend nor discourage breast self-examination.Activists began promoting breast self-examination in the 1930s because their exhortation to not delay seeking treatment for suspicious lumps was not affecting the death rate.