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Jury’s out on self-exams Re: Stop “useless” self-exams on breasts, women urged, June 26. I agree with Dr. Larissa Nekhlyudov that it is premature to urge women to stop performing breast self-examination (BSE). The conclusions reached after a dissenting voice from two Harvard doctors who were asked to review Dr. Nancy Baxter’s review of the literature are not acceptable. I have read the Chinese and Russian studies, both of which are incomplete,
lacking in detail and unfinished and, in the case of the Russian study,
may never be completed. Are we to expect Canadian women to accept this fragmented study from a country bordering on social chaos? In both countries, the criteria for teaching and learning BSE and follow-up of practicing BSE has not been included in the studies. Dr. Baxter also inappropriately states, “that those who did BSE had a greater risk for harm in terms of increased anxiety.” This is greatly overstated. Tell me one person who goes for a blood test who is not anxious. Has the medical profession stopped doing blood tests. A BSE examination is non-invasive, can be done in the privacy of one’s own home and creates a lot less anxiety then being diagnosed with breast cancer. Dr. Baxter should speak with women who found their “lump” through practicing BSE and try to tell them it’s “useless”. Dr. Baxter goes on to say that there is an increased rate of unnecessary biopsies for benign lumps. Yes, there will be more biopsies. Eighty per cent of lumps found by women are benign. It is a great comfort to women to know that under a local anesthetic in a very short procedure that the “lump” can be identified as malignant or benign. BSE includes a number of simple steps, standing and lying down, looking at and examining the breasts, encouraging women to become familiar with their breasts so if a change is noticed they can follow up by visiting a health care professional. Women in Canada are quite capable of learning correct breast self-examination. BSE as an additional tool along with mammograms and a health professional breast examination does increase the chances of discovering breast cancer at an earlier and more easily treated stage. Janet Dikland
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