Abstract
BackgroundAs the risks and benefits of early detection and primary prevention strategies for breast cancer are beginning to be quantified, the risk perception of women has become increasingly important as may affect their screening behaviors. This study evaluated the women’s breast cancer risk perception and their accuracy, and determined the factors that can affect their risk perception accuracy.MethodsData was collected in a cross-sectional survey design. Questionnaire, including breast cancer risk factors, risk perceptions and screening behaviors, answered by 624 women visiting primary health care center (PHCC). “Perceived risk” investigated with numeric and verbal measures. Accuracy of risk perception was determined by women’s Gail 5-year risk scores.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 59.62 ± 1.97 years. Of the women 6.7% had a first-degree relative with breast cancer, 68.9% performed breast self-examination and 62.3% had a mammography, and 82.9% expressed their breast cancer worry as “low”. The numeric measure correlated better with worry and Gail scores. Of the women 65.5% perceived their breast cancer risk accurately. Among the women in “high risk” group 65.7% underestimated, while in “average risk” group 25.4% overestimated their risk.ConclusionsTurkish women visiting PHCC are overtly and overly optimistic. This was especially obvious with the result that nearly one third had had no mammography. There is a need for further studies to understand why and how this optimism is maintained so that better screening strategies can be applied at PHCC. All health workers working at PHCC have to be aware of this optimism to prevent missed opportunities for cancer screening.
Highlights
As the risks and benefits of early detection and primary prevention strategies for breast cancer are beginning to be quantified, the risk perception of women has become increasingly important as may affect their screening behaviors
The aim of the study was to evaluate the women’s breast cancer risk perception and their accuracy determined by using an objective measure, Gail model, and to investigate factors that can affect their risk perception including their socio-demographic characteristics; concerns in relation to having breast cancer, and to evaluate their screening attitudes including breast self-examination and mammography
Data was collected in a cross-sectional survey design that examined breast cancer risk factors, risk perceptions and screening behaviors, monthly regular breast-self examination and mammography at least once within a minimum period of five years, from cancer-free women aged over 45 years
Summary
As the risks and benefits of early detection and primary prevention strategies for breast cancer are beginning to be quantified, the risk perception of women has become increasingly important as may affect their screening behaviors. Widely used as a risk-prediction method for estimating and calculating breast cancer risk, has been tested for different populations including diverse race and ethnic groups, and validated for European women [10,11,12]. This model includes age of the woman, her age at menarche, and age at first live birth, number of first degree relatives with breast cancer, number of previous breast biopsies, and history of atypical hyperplasia for the estimation of breast cancer risk. Each woman’s risk can be calculated using an online calculator which generates five year and life time risk scores and the corresponding risk scores for a woman of the same age who has no risk factors [13,14,15,16,17]
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