No, a monthly breast self-exam (BSE) is not the best way to detect breast cancer. The reason is that, by the time a breast cancer can be felt by a BSE or a clinical breast exam (CBE), the breast tumor is usually bigger than the average size of a tumor first found by mammography.
High quality, film-screen mammography is the most reliable way to find breast cancer as early as possible, when it is most curable.
Nevertheless, breast examination by you or your healthcare provider is still very important. About 25% of breast cancers are found only on breast examination (not on the mammogram), about 35% are found on mammography alone, and 40% are found by both physical exam and mammography.
Therefore, keep all bases covered by having monthly breast self-exams, regular clinical breast exams, and regular mammography.
|
is a trademark of HC Search Corporation.
for free.
