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Matters concerning medical advice can sometimes be contradictory and confusing, especially to the ordinary person. One area of medicine that is rife with contradiction concerns the issue of breast self-exam as a method of screening for breast cancer. According to a review published in the Cochrane Library, the value and effectiveness of breast self-examination are questioned. The review purports that the popular breast self-examination does not play any significant role in saving lives of women who die from breast cancer. To a large extent, I do not agree with the position review that breast self-exams make no contribution in the early detection of breast cancer.
A breast self-exam is a self-administered technique used to check for abnormalities in breasts. Self-exams were originally popularized as a means of detecting breast cancer by feeling the breasts regularly for lumps. However, contradiction is rife on the ability of self-exams to detect breast cancer. The review by Cochrane seems to spread the notion that self-exams are of no use in the fight against breast cancer.
The review is right about the fact that most of the lumps detected during self-exams are benign. Many women have breasts that are naturally lumpy due to the uneven texture of the breast tissue. This bumpiness varies among different women. The lumpiness is often more prominent in some women than others and should not be a cause for alarm. However, normal lumpiness should be felt throughout the breast and should be in both breasts. What should raise concern are lumps that are stiff or that differ from the overall texture of the breast. In most cases, uneven lumps are either signs of cysts, fibroadenoma or breast cancer. These abnormalities can be detected by breast self-exams.
Though it is harsh to dismiss self-exams entirely due to studies that indicate little in deaths of women who performed self-exams and those who did not, the self-exams should not be relied on exclusively as a way of screening for breast cancer. The tried and tested way for the early detection of breast cancer is through regularly scheduled mammograms together with an examination by a medical professional. Mammography is an important technique for the early discovery of tumors, sometimes even before they can be manually sensed. However, self-exams can be useful when combined with mammography and regular medical checkups. In this way, breast self-exams can help people know the normal condition of their breasts so that they can detect abnormalities early and seek medical intervention.
If a woman detects a lump during a self-exam, it is important that she should not panic since most lumps detected are not cancerous. Instead, she should call or visit a doctor and set up appropriate tests to establish the cause of the lumps. It is true that lumps detected during self-exams can be false alarms and that these false alarms can cause psychological torment to the woman. However, I believe that the key to fighting breast cancer lies in early detection, and these tests are needed for the long-term peace of mind.
The main reason behind the popularity of self-exams is the comfort it affords women without the feeling that their privacy is being invaded. Self-exams are not only convenient in terms of privacy, but they are also cost-effective as they can be done any time at the convenience of the individual.
Another reason why we should not dismiss breast self-exams in haste concerns women aged between twenty and forty. Yearly mammography is not advised for women in this age bracket. Breast self-examination offers these women an option for detection of abnormal lumps that could be an indication of breast cancer. Women should be allowed to perform breast self-examination, but they should also be informed of the limitations of the techniques and its ineffectiveness to prevent panicking and unfounded psychological torment.
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