Monthly breast self-examination (BSE) is frequently advocated, but evidence for its effectiveness is weak. The only large, well-conducted, randomized clinical trial of BSE that has been completed, randomly assigned 266,064 women according to workplace in Shanghai to receive either BSE instruction, reinforcement and encouragement, or instruction on the prevention of lower back pain. Neither group received breast cancer screening through other modalities. After 10 to 11 years of follow-up, 135 breast cancer deaths occurred in the instruction group and 131 in the control group (relative risk [RR] = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.82–1.33). Although the number of invasive breast cancers diagnosed in the two groups was about the same, women in the instruction group had more breast biopsies and more benign lesions diagnosed than did women in the control group.
Case-control studies, nonrandomized trials, and cohort evidence about the effectiveness of BSE is mixed; results are difficult to interpret because of selection and recall biases. For example, a small case-control study in Seattle, Washington, compared self-reported practice of BSE in women with advanced breast cancer with that in age-matched controls. The frequency of practicing BSE did not differ in these groups, and there was no decrease in the risk of advanced-stage breast cancer associated with BSE (RR = 1.15; 95% CI, 0.73–1.81). BSE proficiency was low in both groups of women.
In the U.K. Trial of Early Detection of Breast Cancer, two districts invited more than 63,500 women aged 45 to 64 years to educational sessions about BSE. After 10 years of follow-up, there was no difference in mortality rates in these two districts compared with four centers without organized BSE education (RR = 1.07; 95% CI, 0.93–1.22).
A case-control study nested within the Canadian NBSS suggests that well-performed BSE may be effective. This study compared self-reported BSE frequency before enrollment in the trial with breast cancer mortality. Women who examined their breasts visually, used their finger pads for palpation, and used their three middle fingers had a lower breast cancer mortality.
A device called the Sensor Pad was designed to improve the accuracy of BSE and has been approved by the FDA; however, there is no evidence on its efficacy to decrease breast cancer mortality.
