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Checking breasts for lumps does not reduce deaths from cancer
Women have been told to be breast aware but now research seems to show that those that do are no safer from cancer than those that don't. Many women it is thought will still choose to self-examine and report when a lump is found rather than do nothing despite this report.
A review of research studies involving more than 380,000 women concluded there was no evidence that self-examination had any effect on deaths from breast cancer.
It may even be doing more harm than good as women who thought they found lumps underwent biopsies that turned out to be unnecessary.
Self examination led to twice as many biopsies that turned out to be negative for cancer than women who did not check their breasts.
Crowd Power
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Paul Conneally
Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom





Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
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Beezy (not verified)at 11:23 on July 16th, 2008
I'm sorry but I have to disagree! I found my lump and it saved my life!
at 11:35 on July 16th, 2008
That is great! I think every woman should check themselves a few times a year. I think it does make a real difference!
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rpshenat 16:46 on July 16th, 2008
Mammograms can detect lumps much smaller than self-examination. It is highly recommended for women aged 40 and over. I think it's a great idea.