Palpation fails to reduce breast cancer mortality

July 16, 2008 Palpation fails to reduce breast cancer mortality H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Experience compiled from nearly half a million women suggests that breast self-examination has a negligible effect in reducing breast cancer-related deaths. The practice may even be putting an unnecessary strain on breast care resources, according to researchers in Denmark. Reputed medical institutions as well as patient advocacy groups recommend that women give themselves a breast self-exam every month, starting by age 20, to check for lumps or other suspicious changes. Though palpation is widely praised as a valuable aid to early detection, a recent review of two large studies from Russia and China found no evidence that it could reduce breast cancer fatalities and concluded that it should not replace established screening methods, according to principal investigator Jan Peter Kosters, Ph.D.

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