Redbook - Health Habits Its OK to Skip

DebbieB

I just picked up the November issue of Redbook and there on page 100 they say it is OK to skip "Doing a monthly breast self-exam" and is actually recommended by the American Cancer Society. 

I just don't understand why anyone would suggest skipping BSEs.  It's not like they cost us anything.  It's not like it takes a lot of extra time to do. 

And I don't care what the American Cancer Society says.  A BSE saved my life.  I do them all the time.  I think women need to know their breasts and be familiar enough with them so they can recognize changes.

I had my yearly exam on August 24, 2001.  No lumps no problems.  They scheduled my yearly mammogram and the earliest I could get was the first week in December.  The first week in October which would have been about 5-6 weeks after my yearly exam, I found my lump thru BSE.  I was only 6 weeks from my mammogram but something told me to call my doctor who got me a mammogram the next week.  I was dx'd with aggressive BC - highly HER +++.  When I had surgery my lump was already 2.4 cm.  I honestly do not believe I would still be here today had I not done the BSE and saw my doctor as soon as I did. 

I realize most (75-80%) of bc is slow growing.  But for some of us, that isn't the case so please please continue with BSEs and tell your mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers to do do BSEs regularly.  BSEs are Free!  BSEs are Easy.  BSEs take little time or effort!  BSEs help you KNOW your Breasts!  BSEs may not save all lives but they can save some!

I'm sorry.  The article really made me mad.  I just can't believe anyone would write or even suggest that.

Debbie

Dejaboo

I havent seen the Article.

 I agree with you.   I dont like that they are saying that everywhere-not just in Redbook.  There is no harm in doing them.  Yes, some Biopsys are not necessary because of BSE.  But we know from this board that alot of women found their lump- glad you found yours when you did...And some had had mammos less then a year earlier.

You should write them & tell them your story- maybe they will use it in their Letter section.  Maybe it will make some women Not skip their BSE.

Pam

iodine

I resent the statement from ACS about SBE, I've met too many women here who would not have been diagnosed without it.

What?  Are they depending on the docs to do breast exams?  I've NEVER  had what I would call a good exam, even from my surgeon or onc.  They just don't seem to do them.  Locally, some of the docs remarked that they expected the women to examine themselves.   Some were worried about touching a female patient and being called weird!!!! Can you imagine?

What?  Does ACS think that EVERY woman gets a mammo every year???  Hell, no they don't, not with having no ins. or just thinking they don't need them.

I just don't understand this.

samon

Wow, we go from October with being overwhelmed with Breast Cancer Awareness to November hearing we don't need to do monthly BSEs.  I can't believe the ACS would agree that it's ok to skip doing it monthly.  What happened to all the comments about early detection etc. etc.

Anonymous

What the freak?!?!?!?!??!  OMG. 

EDIT TO ADD:  Now that I have calmed my anger at such a silly thing to say (and I LIKED Redbook!  Darn them!), I agree that BSE saved me, too.  I just had an annual, was "clear," and the lump was discovered at HOME, not via machine or a professional's hand. 

My cancer was grade 3 also, and grew before our very eyes.  How DARE they suggest we can skip that! 

Unbelievable

DebbieB

Pam,

I am planning on writing to Redbook.  I actually looked to see who the author was because I was sure it had to be a male but it wasn't.  It just really pissed me off because there is some female out there that will read that and decide to stop doing BSEs.  It also scares me to think that the word may not be getting out to women to do BSEs.  I think all of us know that BSEs are not going to catch every lump...but if it catches just ONE....isn't it worth doing?  I think I will write the ACS as well.   

Debbie

Anonymous

I am another one that found my lump myself through BSE, even tho' the regular exams and mammos didn't find anything!!!!!! DebbieB: Give 'em hell! Represent all of us when you write a letter to the editor to ask what the heck they were thinking!!!!!!! Please don't rely on your doc to know your body better than you do!

Miss_Lolli

THat's RIDICULOUS!  I found my own too, yes..it may have saved my life.

AnneW

From what I understand, the idea of that "lie down once a month and do your exam" is what they are talking about. Just doing that has not been found to decrease mortality from BC, according to research I read a few years ago. Nonetheless, no one is advocating against knowing what your breasts feel like, to know what your normal is and be aware of changes.

That is more of an informal self exam.You can do it any time, anywhere (within reason, unless you want to get funny looks or arrested!)

This from Dr. Susan Love in July, 2008:

ly 17, 2008 Have you been doing your monthly breast self-exam? It's rare to find a woman whose doctor doesn't routinely ask her that question-and who doesn't feel guilty when her answer is no. Yet there is no data to support the practice. In fact, large randomized controlled studies have found that BSE might not matter at all. Now, an updated research review that will be released tonight by the esteemed Cochrane Collaboration underscores this conclusion. The report is entitled "Regular self-examination or clinical examination for early detection of breast cancer." And the authors' conclusions couldn't be more straightforward: "Data from two large trials do not suggest a beneficial effect of screening by breast self-examination but do suggest increased harm in terms of increased numbers of benign lesions identified and an increased number of biopsies performed. At present, screening by breast self-examination or physical examination cannot be recommended." The two large population-based trials the researchers reviewed were conducted in Russia and Shanghai. In both studies, the researchers divided the women into two groups. One group was taught BSE. The other was not. The researchers followed both groups of women for about 10 years. The end result: There was no statistically significant difference in breast cancer mortality between the two groups. The best study, led by Dr. David Thomas at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, was based in China, where women did not have routine access to mammography screening. In this study, one group of 133,000 women underwent intensive instruction in formal BSE. They also received two refresher courses. The second group of 133,000 women had no instruction in BSE. After 10 years, the researchers found there was no difference in deaths from cancers, size of tumors, or cancer stage at diagnosis between the two groups. The only difference was that the group doing formal BSE has more benign biopsies. Susan says: This illustrates that while many women do find their own breast cancers, what's not accurate is the notion that they are finding them because they perform a monthly breast exam. The real distinction that has to be made is between doing a formal BSE in different positions and covering every inch of the breast in great detail and the causal touching of their breasts that all women do. In the China study, the women not taught BSE found their own cancers because they often casually touched their breasts. And that tells us this normal poking around is as good as BSE. The American Cancer Society (ACS) revised its BSE guidelines in 2003, when data from the China study were first published. At that time, the ACS stopped recommending monthly breast self-exams, and it continues to describe them as optional. This new study supports this recommendation. This doesn't mean women should not touch their breasts! But, as I've said for some time, it does mean that they do not have to go on a search and destroy mission every month, and that they should not feel guilty if they do not do formal BSE. Rather, the message women should be getting is that they should be acquainted with their breasts and touch them whenever they feel like it. And if they do find something unusual while touching their breasts, or if their partner feels something during sex, they should report it to their physician. The conclusions reached in the Cochrane review also suggests that the concept of early detection itself may need to be re-evaluated. The original idea of early detection was based on the belief that all breast cancers grew slowly until they reached a certain point and started to spread. This scenario suggested that BSE or mammography had the potential to save lives by identifying these tumors early, before they got out of the breast. But the new data suggests that there are many different kinds of breast cancer based on their DNA mutations, some of which grow very slowly and some of which grow quite fast. If you have a very fast growing and fast spreading one, mammography and BSE and physician exam will not make a difference. They also don't make much of a difference if you have a slow-growing tumor that may never spread. It's the middle group where mammography may have its biggest impact. What this really points to is the need for breast cancer research to shift its focus from early detection to finding the cause of breast cancer and how to prevent it. That's the only way were going to truly be able to make a difference in this disease. I think that's what Redbook was getting at. Anne (foorgive the html crap, I can't delete it.)

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Member_of_the_Club

I have a lot of trouble with BSEs because of all the scar tissue.  I don't know what the hell I'm feeling.  So i really do rely on my surgeon and onc.  Since I see each twice a year, staggered, it means I'm getting a good breast exam four times a year (plus a breast MRI, plus a mammogram).  I think I'm covered.