How much do Turkish women know about breast cancer prevention?

Abstract

e12038 Background: Early diagnosis is of paramount importance in reducing mortality from BC. We assessed the awareness of BC prevention in Turkish women with a crosssectional survey. Methods: Women > 20 yrs of age without cancer and who do not work in the healthcare completed our survey made up of 10 questions including the most important causes of BC, frequency of having mammography (M), breast self examination (BSE), the age for beginning first M, socioeconomic status (family history of cancer, level of education, marital status, the number of children, economic status) and the presence of comorbid diseases. Results: The median age of the 178 women was 40 (20-83). Education level was distributed as 31% primary school, 28% high school, 39% university. 21% were single, 70% had children, 62% had an occupation; the women with high/intermediate/low income were 18/61/22% of the population respectively. The most common sign of BC was recorded as a lump in the breast by 53% of the women. Familial/genetic factors, nutritional factors, use of estrogen were reported as the most common three causes of BC by the 65%, 23% and 20% of women respectively. Fifty-three percent of the women had regular BSE and it was significantly associated with age and marital status (p = 0.05, p = 0.02). Among women > 40 yrs , 48% had at least one M; 52% never had a M. Awareness of M as a screening tool was significantly associated with higher educational level (p = 0.05) .The age for beginning M was recorded as 20, 30, 40, 50 by 1%, 19%, 39%, 12% of the women respectively, 29% women did not know about it. Level of education, having an occupation and presence of comorbid diseases were significantly associated with awareness of screening with M (p = 0.00; p = 0.01.; p = 0.04) respectively. 44% women had a first degree relative with cancer, 16% of women had a relative with BC. Presence of a relative with cancer had no impact on the awareness of screening with M and BSE. Conclusions: The survey population have inadequate knowledge about development and prevention of BC. This isusue may even be worse in other parts of the country given our relatively well educated population with good socioeconomic status. Public health education and development of national screening programs are necessary to improve breast cancer care in Turkey. No significant financial relationships to disclose.