[Does breast self-examination affect the stage of breast carcinoma?]

Abstract

The regular self-examination of the breast is one of the possibilities to detect breast cancer early. Our aim was to test the sensitivity of the method on rural, poorly informed patients. Almost one fourth of the 90 cancer patients belonged to the self-examination group. 52% of these women had a stage-I tumor. 58% of the women who didn't examine themselves entered hospital with stage-III or stage-IV tumor. In the self-examination group, in 71% of the lymph nodes were negative. This cohort showed also a better result concerning tumor extension. The average size was 1.9 cm compared to 3.8 cm in the 'non-analyser group'. We summarize that women controlling themselves have a better prognosis. Therefore, self-examination, combined with mammography and clinical control, is one of the best methods for early detection of mammary-cancer.