MedWire News: There is no evidence to suggest that regular breast self-examination reduces deaths from breast cancer, a review of published studies shows.

Dr Jan Kösters and Dr Peter Gøtzsche from the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark, reviewed the results of two large Russian and Chinese studies, involving more than 388,000 women, which studied the effects of breast self-examination on death rates due to breast cancer.

Analysis revealed that there was no significant difference in breast cancer death rates between women who regularly examined their own breasts and those who did not.

However, twice as many women who regularly performed breast self-examination underwent unnecessary biopsies for a benign breast lump than those who did not perform self-examinations.

Drs Kösters and Gøtzsche write: "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."

They conclude: "At present, screening by breast self-examination or physical examination cannot be recommended."

Commenting on the findings, Dr Sarah Cant, policy manager at the UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "Breast self examination is widely practiced in the USA and is a strict and complicated routine that women are taught in order to check their breasts. It is not advocated by breast cancer charities in the UK or the Department of Health, who recommend that women just need to be breast aware.

"Being breast aware does not mean following a fancy routine - you just need to know what your breasts look and feel like normally in any way you feel comfortable. If you notice any unusual changes or have any worries, check them out with your GP."

The research is appears in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.