The pattern of breast cancer risk factors among Iranian women and predictors of class membership

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to find subgroups of women on the basis of clustering of breast cancer risk factors. Materials & methods: The study was conducted in Shiraz between 2004 and 2013. In this cross-sectional study clinical breast examination, mammography or sonography, fine needle aspiration or biopsy and surgery in case of indications were performed for all participants. Results: Four latent classes were indentified among women with breast cancer; general population risk (65.7%), low risk (8.9%), moderate risk (20.5%) and high risk (4.9%). Conclusion: Focusing on education, age and the occupation of women may help in designing and executing effective programs to reduce the incidence of breast cancer among healthy women.