Fw: Women urged to be 'breast aware' ...excellent medical advice for all

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Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 7:12 PM

Subject: Women urged to be 'breast aware' ...excellent medical advice for all

Women urged to be 'breast aware' Women should be aware of changes to the breasts

Advising women to regularly check their breasts for lumps does not cut deaths from cancer, a study suggests. Researchers in the United States found that women who self-examine their breasts were unlikely to spot tumours earlier than those who do not carry out the checks. Experts said the findings highlighted the fact that breast self-examination is difficult to do properly. Women should be aware of their breast and what is normal for them, the feel, the look and the shape , Cancer Research UK They suggested that women should instead be told how to spot the symptoms of breast cancer. These include changes to the size, shape and feel of the breast or nipple and any pain or discomfort. The study by scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle echoes previous research which has questioned whether women should be told to examine their breasts at regular intervals. Eleven-year study Dr and colleagues based their findings on an 11-year study of more than 266,000 women in Shanghai. The women were divided into two groups. Those in the first group were taught how to perform breast self-examination (BSE) and were giving regular refresher courses and reminders to check for lumps. The second group received no such information. The researchers found that death rates among women in both groups were the same 10 years later. They also found that women in the first group did not identify cancer tumours earlier than those who had received no information. However, women who regularly checked their breasts were more likely to spot non-cancerous lumps. Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the authors said that the findings could have important lessons for poorer countries trying to tackle breast cancer. "In developing countries, where mammographic screening is not available, it would not seem to be a good use of limited funds available for preventive services to promote practice of BSE," they said. The researchers added that the study also showed that regular breast screening is much more effective than self-examining for lumps. Breast awareness In an accompanying editorial, Dr and Dr Kinsinger of the University of North Carolina said that while teaching women to check for lumps seems like a good idea it is expensive, difficult to learn to do well and difficult to do long-term. The charity Cancer Research UK, which advises the government on its breast screening programmes, said the findings were not surprising. , its senior cancer information nurse said: "Most organisations have moved away from the prescriptive message telling women that they must check their breasts at regular intervals. "What we do advocate quite strongly is the importance of breast awareness - women should be aware of their breast and what is normal for them, the feel, the look and the shape. "They should report any changes in the size, shape or feel to their GP," she told BBC News Online. gigi* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2289601.stm