A Washington, D.C. TV news program is showing real topless woman to demonstrate breast self-exams in the late afternoon and early evening — when children are sure to see it. The 4-part series started at the very end of breast cancer awareness month (October), which happened to be ratings sweep week.

Is the series designed to help women or ratings? I don’t know the intent, but I do know that TV news programs usually do their “breast cancer awareness month” programs in the first few days of October.  But that isn’t when ratings are calculated.

Unfortunately, ratings will probably be helped more than women.

Will women benefit from this program? A comprehensive review of all the research concludes that “the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against teaching or performing routine breast self-examination.” Self-exams result in unnecessary biopsies, adding to fear and health care expenses, but no clear evidence that it reduces breast cancer mortality. This is clearly stated on the web site of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

That’s the agency that carefully reviews research evidence to determine which medical treatments and prevention strategies work and which don’t. 

It’s fine for women to do breast self-exams if they want to, but they shouldn’t feel guilty if they don’t.  By the time a cancerous tumor is large enough to be felt in a breast self-exam it is already quite advanced and is likely to be found soon by the woman while she is showering or dressing.

That’s why the American Cancer Society also does not recommend for or against breast self-exams. 

As a nonprofit aimed at improving the health of women, children, and families, the National Research Center for Women & Families has repeatedly applied for grants to help women prevent breast cancer and repeatedly been told by “pink ribbon” companies and foundations that their focus is breast self-exams.  When we told them that breast self-exams don’t prevent cancer and don’t even seem to contribute much to early detection, they tune us out.

If the time and money spent encouraging women to get breast self-exams was instead spent on prevention strategies that are proven to work, women would greatly benefit. That would include:

1. Mammograms (let’s make them free to women who can’t afford them)
2. Healthy weight (obesity increases the risk of breast cancer and even of breast cancer recurrence for women previously treated for breast cancer)
3. Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke (both contribute to breast cancer, in addition to lung cancer)
4. Do not take hormone replacement therapy for menopause (or take it at the lowest dose for the shortest period of time).

If you want to take extra precautions, we suggest avoiding chemicals that act like estrogen, which unfortunately include phthalates that are in most moisturizing creams and shampoos, and bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that lines cans of sodas, soups, and foods. Companies used to put hormones in many hair care products for African Americans, but most of those are safer now. And do NOT put your cell phone in a pocket near your breasts, because cell phones emit radiation when they are on, even when you’re not talking. It’s a low dose of radiation, but it will add up hour after hour, day after day, month after month. (Turn off your cell phones when you don’t need them and when on but not in use, put cell phones away from your body – on your desk, in your purse or back pack, etc.)

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D., President
National Research Center for Women & Families

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