Skip to main content
PMC home page
The BMJ logoLink to The BMJ
. 1994 Jul 16;309(6948):168–174. doi: 10.1136/bmj.309.6948.168

Screening and self examination for breast cancer.

J Austoker 1
PMCID: PMC2540682  PMID: 8044097

Abstract

Breast cancer is the major form of cancer in women, with nearly 30,000 new cases and over 15,000 deaths in the United Kingdom each year. Breast screening by mammography has been shown in randomised trials to reduce mortality from breast cancer in women aged 50 and over. An NHS breast screening programme has been in operation in the United Kingdom since 1988. Its aim is to reduce mortality from breast cancer by 25% in the population of women invited to be screened. The uptake of mammography among the eligible population may be the single most important determinant if the programme is to be effective. Primary care teams have an important part to play in encouraging women to attend for screening and in providing information, advice, and reassurance at all stages of the screening process. To date, routine breast self examination has not been shown to be an effective method of screening for breast cancer and should not therefore be promoted as a primary screening procedure. There is, however, a case to be made for women to become more "breast aware."

Full text

PDF
171

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baines C. J. Breast self-examination. Cancer. 1992 Apr 1;69(7 Suppl):1942–1946. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19920401)69:7+<1942::aid-cncr2820691712>3.0.co;2-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baines C. J. Some thoughts on why women don't do breast self-examination. Can Med Assoc J. 1983 Feb 1;128(3):255-6, 270. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Beral V. Mammographic screening. Lancet. 1993 Jun 12;341(8859):1509–1510. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(93)90639-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ceyrac D. L., Serfaty D., Lefrancq H. Retinoids and contraception. Dermatology. 1992;184(3):161–170. doi: 10.1159/000247534. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chamberlain J. Firmer evidence on the value of breast screening--the Swedish overview. Eur J Cancer. 1993;29A(13):1804–1805. doi: 10.1016/0959-8049(93)90524-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Champion V. The role of breast self-examination in breast cancer screening. Cancer. 1992 Apr 1;69(7 Suppl):1985–1991. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19920401)69:7+<1985::aid-cncr2820691720>3.0.co;2-c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Clover K. A., Redman S., Forbes J. F., Sanson-Fisher R. W., Dickinson J. A. Promotion of attendance for mammographic screening through general practice: a randomised trial of two strategies. Med J Aust. 1992 Jan 20;156(2):91–94. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cockburn J., Irwig L., Turnbull D., Simpson J. M., Mock P., Tattersall M. Encouraging attendance at screening mammography: knowledge, attitudes and intentions of general practitioners. Med J Aust. 1989 Oct 2;151(7):391–396. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1989.tb101221.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Coleman E. A. Practice and effectiveness of breast self examination: a selective review of the literature (1977-1989). J Cancer Educ. 1991;6(2):83–92. doi: 10.1080/08858199109528096. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dai W. S., Hsu M. A., Itri L. M. Safety of pregnancy after discontinuation of isotretinoin. Arch Dermatol. 1989 Mar;125(3):362–365. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fallowfield L. J., Rodway A., Baum M. What are the psychological factors influencing attendance, non-attendance and re-attendance at a breast screening centre? J R Soc Med. 1990 Sep;83(9):547–551. doi: 10.1177/014107689008300905. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fox S. A., Murata P. J., Stein J. A. The impact of physician compliance on screening mammography for older women. Arch Intern Med. 1991 Jan;151(1):50–56. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Frank J. W., Mai V. Breast self-examination in young women: more harm than good? Lancet. 1985 Sep 21;2(8456):654–657. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(85)90014-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. French K., Porter A. M., Robinson S. E., McCallum F. M., Howie J. G., Roberts M. M. Attendance at a breast screening clinic: a problem of administration or attitudes. 1982 Aug 28-Sep 4Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 285(6342):617–620. doi: 10.1136/bmj.285.6342.617. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hill D., White V., Jolley D., Mapperson K. Self examination of the breast: is it beneficial? Meta-analysis of studies investigating breast self examination and extent of disease in patients with breast cancer. BMJ. 1988 Jul 23;297(6643):271–275. doi: 10.1136/bmj.297.6643.271. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Jick S. S., Terris B. Z., Jick H. First trimester topical tretinoin and congenital disorders. Lancet. 1993 May 8;341(8854):1181–1182. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(93)91004-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kee F. Do general practitioners facilitate the breast screening programme? Eur J Cancer Prev. 1992 Apr;1(3):231–238. doi: 10.1097/00008469-199204000-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kruse J., Phillips D. M. Factors influencing women's decision to undergo mammography. Obstet Gynecol. 1987 Nov;70(5):744–748. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Maclean U., Sinfield D., Klein S., Harnden B. Women who decline breast screening. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1984 Dec;38(4):278–283. doi: 10.1136/jech.38.4.278. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Mant D. Breast self-examination. Br Med Bull. 1991 Apr;47(2):455–461. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a072483. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Mitchell A. A. Oral retinoids. What should the prescriber known about their teratogenic hazards among women of child-bearing potential? Drug Saf. 1992 Mar-Apr;7(2):79–85. doi: 10.2165/00002018-199207020-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Rimer B. K., Keintz M. K., Kessler H. B., Engstrom P. F., Rosan J. R. Why women resist screening mammography: patient-related barriers. Radiology. 1989 Jul;172(1):243–246. doi: 10.1148/radiology.172.1.2740510. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Semiglazov V. F., Moiseyenko V. M., Bavli J. L., Migmanova N. Sh, Seleznyov N. K., Popova R. T., Ivanova O. A., Orlov A. A., Chagunava O. A., Barash N. J. The role of breast self-examination in early breast cancer detection (results of the 5-years USSR/WHO randomized study in Leningrad). Eur J Epidemiol. 1992 Jul;8(4):498–502. doi: 10.1007/BF00146366. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from BMJ : British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES