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Medical Author:

Serdar H Ural, MD

Coauthor:

Aneela Naureen Hussain, MD, MBBS

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Partner With Your Health Care Provider

Your health care provider can show you the proper technique for a breast self-examination during your annual breast examination. This should be brought up during your general check up.

You should perform this exam monthly and immediately report any suspicious breast lumps or conditions to your doctor.

Routine breast self-examination has not been proven to reduce breast cancer deaths, nor has it been as helpful as routine screening by mammography. However, breast self-exams are very cost effective and have no side effects. Tumors that may be breast cancer, when found with this technique, can be in an early stage, may have a better outcome, and may possibly have higher cure rates (long-term survival).