Because breast cancer is
not easily detected by touch until the tumor is appreciably
large and/or the cancer is transferred to other organs, early
detection is important. Therefore, it is recommended that
women 40 years of age and over have regular mammograms,
and women younger than 40 practice regular breast selfexamination
for the early detection of breast cancer (American
Cancer Society, 2011). Mammograms are effective in
decreasing breast cancer-related mortality, whereas breast
self-examination increases the frequency of positive breast
biopsy, although it is not effective in reducing mortality
(Nelson et al., 2009).