Woman have long been told that self-examination is the home front in the fight against breast cancer. However, new research defies the old wisdom saying self-exams don't Save lives- and may have bad side effects. Pat Zinke discoverd the lump in her breast during a self exam: PAT ZINKE Breast Cancer Survivor, "I think it saved my life because the lump was very aggressive. It was not there 6 weeks earlier."
But now a breast cancer studies finds that self-exams don't reduce breast cancer death-- and actually can cause anxiety and harm by requiring additional biopsies: DR. SUSAN LOVE Susan Love Research Foundation "What it's saying is the extra things these women who were doing intensive breast self exams found just caused them to have unnecessary surgery without changing the outcome at all."Women have long been taught that monthly breast self exams are key for theearly detection of cancer. Done correctly, it's a five-step process that takes a bit of time and is still recommended by many doctors: DR. MARISSA WEISS breastcancer.org "The only way you can know it there's a change in your breast is to know what they look and feel like." But the study found that it doesn't take a formal breast exam for women to detect changes in their breasts DR. SUSAN LOVE Susan Love Research Foundation "I think the normal routine for breast health is to be aware of your body.That does not take a search-and-destroy mission every month, but it means being aware of your breasts at different times of the month and being aware of any changes." Woman can decide with their doctors what kind of breast exam works best for them. And of course annual mammograms are recommended for all women over 40.
Labels: breaking news os9user breast self exam question video pat zinke
|
