Abstract
Background: In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women, while cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death. Women often fail to recognise or misinterpret possible symptoms, so breast and cervical cancer symptom awareness information can promote timely help-seeking behaviour, diagnosis and start of treatment. Aim: To identify tools that have been utilised to measure breast and cervical cancer symptom awareness in SSA and to establish if such tools have been validated in SSA populations. Methods: A scoping review of articles published between January 1997 and February 2017, written in English and describing primary research in breast and/or cervical cancer symptom awareness-related topics in SSA contexts, was undertaken across five databases. The approach was supported by Colquhoun et al.’s methodological framework for scoping reviews. Results: A total of 41 studies were included from 11 SSA countries. Almost half (20/41) used breast and/or cervical cancer symptom awareness tools but did not report on tool validation processes. The rest (21/41) made reference to some tool validation, yet only two reported a detailed account of their tool validation processes. One explored lay perceptions of breast cancer, while the other sought to establish the validity and reliability of a UK tool in a Kenyan context. Conclusion: The findings point to the dearth of comprehensively validated and culturally relevant tools to measure breast and cervical cancer symptom awareness in the SSA context. They have informed the development and validation of an African Women Awareness of CANcer (AWACAN) tool, which can support the development and evaluation of interventions relevant to the SSA context.
Highlights
Breast and cervical cancers are the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in women
Our findings demonstrate that several tools have been utilised to measure breast and cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) contexts
Using consistent and reliable measures in cancer studies contributes to the quality of research results,[56] which, in turn, will inform oncology practice in so far as ‘standardised, valid measurement is essential for monitoring levels of cancer awareness, examining its risk factors and consequences, and evaluating interventions to promote it’
Summary
Breast and cervical cancers are the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in women. Most cancers (85% – 90%) are diagnosed following symptomatic presentation.[2] understanding processes related to cancer symptom epidemiology, symptom awareness and responses to symptoms are important in developing interventions to promote timely cancer diagnosis. Women often fail to recognise or misinterpret possible symptoms, so breast and cervical cancer symptom awareness information can promote timely help-seeking behaviour, diagnosis and start of treatment
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