Determinants of breast cancer in Saudi women from Makkah region: a case-control study (breast cancer risk factors among Saudi women)

Fatmah J Alsolami,Firas S Azzeh,Sufyan H Tashtoush,Riyad A Almaimani,Hussain A Almasmoum,Khloud J Ghafouri,Wesam H Abdulaal,Rwaa H Abdulal,Mazen M Ghaith,Abdelelah S Jazar

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7942-3

Abstract

BackgroundThere are various factors that play a major role in influencing the overall health conditions of women diagnosed with breast cancer. The population of women in Makkah region are diverse, therefore it is significant to highlight the possible determinants of breast cancer in this population. This is a case-control study that assessed determinants of breast cancer including socioeconomic factors, health-related characteristics, menstrual histories and breastfeeding among postmenopausal women in Makkah region in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA total of 432 female participants (214 cases and 218 controls) were recruited for this study. A validated questionnaire was completed by trained dietitians at King Abdullah Medical City Hospital in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia.ResultsResults displayed that determinants of breast cancer were associated significantly (P < 0.05) with unemployment, large family size, lack of knowledge and awareness about breast cancer, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, starting menarche at an early age, as well as hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptive use. There was no effect of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and duration of breastfeeding on the incidence of breast cancer.ConclusionIn summary, the results of this study accentuate the possible effect of socioeconomic factors, health-related characteristics and menstrual history on the incidence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women in the Makkah region. Education programs should be applied to increase breast cancer awareness and possibly decrease its incidence.

Highlights

There are various factors that play a major role in influencing the overall health conditions of women diagnosed with breast cancer
With regard to the socioeconomic factors, the results showed that being unemployed had an increased positive association with breast cancer (β = 1.89, odds ratio (OR) = 6.56, 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 3.83–11.37, P < 0.001)
The current study investigated the effects of socioeconomic factors, health related characteristics, menstrual histories and breastfeeding durations on the incidence of breast cancer in postmenopausal Saudi Arabian women from the Makkah region

Summary

Introduction

There are various factors that play a major role in influencing the overall health conditions of women diagnosed with breast cancer. The population of women in Makkah region are diverse, it is significant to highlight the possible determinants of breast cancer in this population. This is a case-control study that assessed determinants of breast cancer including socioeconomic factors, health-related characteristics, menstrual histories and breastfeeding among postmenopausal women in Makkah region in Saudi Arabia. Previous studies have reported that there are several common factors present in women diagnosed with breast cancer, such as their ages, ages at menarche and menopause, family histories, lifestyles and oral contraceptive usage [3, 4]. From the point of view of epidemiological studies, exploring the predominant risk factors in a selected population of women can help to direct the perspective of breast cancer prevention [4]

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