Singapore - Doctors in Singapore are urging women to examine their breasts regularly for early detection of cancer, despite studies in China and Russia finding the checks may do more harm than good, a news report said Thursday.

Between 10 to 20 per cent of women who detect lumps in their breasts turn out to have cancer, noted Dr Yong Wei Sean, a senior consultant at the National Cancer Centre's department of surgical oncology.

"If women do not conduct self-examinations, then cancer could be missed," The Straits Times quoted Yong as saying. "The cancer might develop into its later stages, and treatment could be administered too late."

A review of the studies on breast self-examination, which covered 380,000 women in China and Russia, may not reflect the situation in Singapore, he said.

Conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization, the researchers found that women who think that they have found lumps choose to have biopsies more often than necessary.

The Cochrane report said that women underwent a biopsy for every benign lump often emerged with scars, breast deformities and emotional wounds.

"The incidence of breast cancer is unfortunately higher in Singapore than in China, and it is, in fact, the highest in Asia," Yong told the newspaper.

It is important for women to be aware of changes to the breast, said Dr Lim Siew Eng, a senior consultant at the National University Hospital.

"Breast examination could also supplement screening mammograms, which may occasionally miss palpable breast cancers in about 10 per cent of cases," she said. (dpa)