Highlights
- •Breast cancer screening is topical as debate about screening mammography continues.
- •Clinical breast examination alone leads to earlier diagnosis of breast cancer than no screening at all.
- •Earlier detection of cancer by clinical breast examination is not proven to reduce mortality.
- •For women who have mammography screening, clinical breast examination is of little benefit.
- •For women who do not have mammography screening, clinical breast examination may be of benefit.
Abstract
As the debate about the potential benefits and harms of screening mammography continues,
it is timely to consider the role of clinical breast examination in screening for
women at average risk of breast cancer. This article reviews the results from clinical
trials and discusses the varied recommendations around the world. It concludes that
the evidence does not support routine clinical breast examination for women participating
in screening mammography programs, but there may be a benefit for women not do not
have mammographic screening, especially in developing nations where health literacy
and ‘breast awareness’ levels may be lower. This review provides information for clinicians
to support women who are making decisions about the increasingly complex issue of
breast cancer screening.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 20, 2016
Accepted:
July 18,
2016
Received in revised form:
July 17,
2016
Received:
June 1,
2016
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
