TY  - JOUR
T1  - CLinical trial of rectal self-examination
AU  - Lehrer S
Y1  - 1979/10/01
N1  - 10.1001/archinte.1979.03630470102036
JO  - Archives of Internal Medicine
SP  - 1194
EP  - 1194
VL  - 139
IS  - 10
N2  - To the Editor.— 
    To test the adequacy and acceptability of rectal self-examination, I asked ten physicians and a medical technician to perform the maneuver on themselves. The results show that this method may improve the five-year survival rate of rectal and prostate cancer, which has changed little in the past 20 years.1-3Three of the physicians felt that the examination was comparable in adequacy to that performed on patients. Two physicians judged that, though they could not palpate as much in themselves as in a patient, they still were able to feel much of the rectal wall and part of the prostate. A sixth physician was not able to use his middle finger because of rectal spasm, but could perform a partial examination with his little finger. The medical technician had no difficulty palpating his entire rectal wall and prostate. The four remaining physicians refused to try the examination.
SN  - 0003-9926
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archinte.1979.03630470102036
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1979.03630470102036
ER  -