Through the years there has been significant debate vis a vis how valuable breast self-examination is in detecting breast cancer early and increasing the likelihood of survival. The American Cancer Society stopped recommending breast self-exam as a screening tool for women with an average risk of breast cancer. Similarly, the Mayo Clinic acknowledges that "most medical organizations don't recommend routine breast self-exams as a part of breast cancer screening. That's because breast self-exams haven't been shown to be effective in detecting cancer or improving survival for women who have breast cancer."
While self breast exams are not a formal screening modality, there is great value in being familiar with the look and feel of your own breasts so you understand what is normal to you and are able to detect and promptly report changes.
While we are proponents breast self exams and knowing your body, it is important to know that BSEs should never take the place of breast cancer screenings.

Self Breast Exams can help to detect early signs of breast cancer. Self-examination of the breasts is an important part of health care and should be done on a regular basis. Self-breast exams are also known as being self-breast aware, breast self-awareness or BSE. During a Self Breast Examination, you will use your hands to feel for any changes in your breasts. It's important to do BSE regularly so that you get a sense of what your "normal" is as a baseline and then, over time, will be able to detect any changes. After all, you know your body best!
Breast Cancer Statistics
Cancer affects everyone differently but some facts remain true no matter who is affected by it. According to recent estimates from The American Cancer Society about 1 in 8 women (just over 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over their lifetime and about 265,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed each year among US women alone.
Although anyone can develop cancer regardless of age, race, or ethnicity; according to statistics from 2019 based on data from 2003-2017; African American women have higher rates of being diagnosed with later-stage breast cancers when compared to Caucasian women. Additionally, those same statistics show that Hispanic/Latina women were more likely than non-Hispanic white women to be diagnosed before they turn 40 (regardless of age, gender identity, race, or ethnicity) and need to become better informed about their bodies and help catch signs and symptoms early on.
Early Detection
Early detection increases the chances of successful treatment and recovery from breast cancer. By taking proactive measures like Self Breast Examinations and getting regular mammograms after age 40 (or earlier depending on risk factors) women can stay informed about their own health and be more aware of potential issues related to breast cancer before they become more serious or life-threatening conditions.
Early Stage breast cancer is curable. Late-stage breast cancer or metastatic breast cancer still has no cure, though it is manageable with lifelong treatment.
Similarly, while mammograms are the current standard of care for breast cancer screenings, it is important to know your breast density. Breast density plays an important role in the effectiveness of mammography screening; if you have dense breasts (and your mammographer should be able to tell you), you will want to ask for another type of screening such as an ultrasound or MRI in order to detect breast cancer.