BREAST-CANCER MORTALITY IN RELATION TO SELF-REPORTED USE OF BREAST SELF-EXAMINATION - A COHORT STUDY OF 450,000 WOMEN

The benefits of breast self-examination (BSE) for reducing mortality f rom breast cancer are uncertain. We conducted an analysis of the relat ionship between self-reported practicing of BSE and mortality from bre ast cancer over 13 years in a cohort of over 548,000 women. The report of practicing BSE was unrelated to breast cancer mortality. There was a small beneficial effect in those women who were the thinnest, but t his effect was small and not statistically significant. BSE was otherw ise equally ineffective in subgroups defined by obesity level and fami ly history of breast cancer. We conclude that BSE, as practiced by Ame rican women in 1959, did not reduce the risk of mortality from breast cancer.