Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns Research Articles

Stage and Type of Male Breast Cancer Presented at Mankweng Academic Hospital from 2015-2023

Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is very uncommon, occurring less than 1% of all breast cancers, and has a worse survival rate compared with that of female patients. Clinical studies on male breast cancer have not been done frequently because of the rarity of the condition. The main aim of this study is to understand the profile of male breast cancer patients treated at Mankweng Hospital. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive quantitative design was adopted to analyze the profile of all patients with histologically confirmed male breast cancer from March 2015 to May 2023 in the Mankweng Breast Oncology clinic. Results: A total of 17 patients with confirmed MBC were evaluated. Age range 23–80 years. The mean age is 62.5 years, with the majority (76%, 5%) being above the age of 50 years. Early-stage (0, I & II) comprised 6 (35%) and late-stage (III & IV) consisted of 11 (65%) patients. Invasive ductal carcinoma was 14 (82%), Colloid carcinoma 1, Papillary carcinoma 1 and Metastatic Adenocarcinoma 1. Molecular subtype: Luminal A: 7 (43.8%), Luminal B: 8 (50%) & Triple-negative: 1 (6.2%). ER Positive: 15 (93.7%), ER Negative: 1 (6.3%). Conclusions: The majority (65%) of male breast cancer were diagnosed at an advanced stage, and 76.5% were over the age of 50 years. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the most (82%) common histological type of breast cancer, and the majority (93%) are oestrogen receptor positive in this study. There is a gap that needs to be filled in terms of public knowledge about male breast cancer. Breast cancer awareness campaigns are also important for men to prevent delayed presentation. Men over 50 years old who notice a change in their breasts should report promptly to a health facility for further assessment.

Referral and disease patterns of patients treated at the Nicosia General Hospital Breast Centre

Abstract Background Cyprus has one of the lowest mortality rates from breast cancer in Europe. The reasons behind this have not been investigated but it is speculated that the ease of access to Breast Centers in combination with an increased public awareness play a role. The aim of this study was to investigate referral and disease presentation patterns of patients treated at the Nicosia General Hospital (NGH) Breast Centre and define opportunities for effective public health interventions. Methods A retrospective study of all patients (585) with in situ or invasive breast cancer treated at the NGH Breast Centre between February 2017 and November 2023 was conducted. Data on referral sources, symptoms, and cancer stage at the time of diagnosis were analyzed using Stata 18. Results Most patients were referrals from the national population screening program (42.2%), followed by self-referrals (40.6%), and General Practitioner (GP)/or other specialist referrals (17.2%). Half of the patients (50.3%) were asymptomatic at diagnosis. In addition, 8% of the patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer were Stage I, 65% Stage II, and 27% Stage III. Conclusions Our study provides important insights forming the basis of public health activities for the early detection of breast cancer based on the fact that 20% of newly diagnosed breast cancer cases in Cyprus receive treatment in NGH Breast Center. Although adherence to the national population screening program does not meet desired expectations, a significant proportion of breast cancers were detected via this program highlighting its effectiveness in early detection of asymptomatic cancers. A large proportion of patients were self-referred underlining the high degree of breast cancer awareness in Cyprus but also the media-induced anxiety which leads to early investigations. Key messages • Screening program and breast cancer awareness campaigns are effective in detecting breast cancers early. • These activities should be sustained to further reduce breast cancer mortality rate.

Breast Cancer Education and Empowerment in Ethiopia: Evaluating Community-Based Cancer Prevention Efforts Using the RE-AIM Framework.

Cancer prevention challenges in Ethiopia include limited community awareness and low uptake of screening, which are in part driven by a lack of culturally and linguistically relevant cancer education appropriate for the diverse indigenous communities of this never-colonized nation. In 2022, a comprehensive multi-media breast cancer (BC) awareness campaign was implemented, featuring local cancer experts and survivors, with community-based screening events in the towns of Adama and Mojo. The RE-AIM framework was used to evaluate and describe its reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Educational pamphlets, videos, social media posts, and interviews were distributed in person and through local and national media networks, reaching tens of millions of people and resulting in 525 individuals screened, with one diagnosis of early-stage cancer. During the free screening events, an interview-administered survey of BC knowledge, attitudes, and screening practices was conducted to inform future cancer education for this population. Among 287 survey respondents, about half correctly identified swelling (46%) or changing nipples/discharge (48.4%) as signs of BC. Maintenance challenges include the lack of a national screening program. Educational resources and a mobile app, translated into the local language, encourage continued patient empowerment to perform breast self-exams. In the absence of established BC prevention programs, "pop-up" mobile screening events can be effective for mobilizing communities to get screened. The paper highlights challenges and lessons gleaned from this community-based BC awareness campaign and screening event to inform future cancer education initiatives in Ethiopia and similar resource-limited settings.

The Impact of Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns on Women's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Uganda's Kampala District

In Uganda, breast cancer affects 116 out of every 100,000 women. Worldwide, the yearly incidence rate of breast cancer (BRCA) is more than 1 million cases and more than 411,000 deaths. In underdeveloped nations, the survival rate is less than 50%, while in industrialized nations, it is 90%. Studies have shown that this is caused by delayed diagnosis and identification of breast cancer (BRCA), as well as by inadequate understanding, attitudes, and practices about BRCA, its causes, risk factors, and screening methods. Since the success of these campaigns to raise awareness, alter negative attitudes toward BRCA prevention and treatment, and improve the use of screening methods is highly dependent on their influence, the MTN Foundation, National Breast Cancer Coalition, Breast Cancer Action, and Miss University Uganda campaigners have resorted to aggressive awareness and sensitization programs aimed at increasing knowledge, changing attitudes, and improving the practice of all necessary screening procedures. To determine the degree of awareness and exposure, knowledge level, attitude, and screening practice among women in Kampala District, a survey and in-person interviews were employed. The causes of unhealthy habits and their effects were explained by the Health Believe Model and the Attitude Change Theory. The results showed a cursory understanding of BRCA symptoms, causes, genetic testing, BSE, and CBE. Strongly negative emotional and psychological beliefs also impact that attitude. As a result, the study stressed the need of preventive rather than curative methods and acknowledged the contribution of breast cancer campaigns to the cause. Keywords: Breast cancer, Campaigns, Self-examination, Risk factors.

Series of rare cases of breast tumour: 8-year review at mankweng Breast Oncology clinic, Limpopo, South Africa

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in many parts of the world, particularly for women. In March 2015, a Breast Oncology clinic for breast cancer patients was established at Mankweng Hospital. Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common (87 %) tumour found in Limpopo, and occasionally, another rare tumour of the breast is presented in the Breast Oncology clinic.
 The aim: The main objective is to share the experience of a rare tumour of the breast came across over the past 8 years since the establishment of the Breast Oncology clinic.
 Material and Method: Series of rare case reports of Breast tumours and literature review from the Mankweng Breast Oncology Clinic.
 Result: Rare tumour encountered in Breast Oncology clinic: adenomyoepithelioma, micro-papillary carcinoma of the breast, primary malignant melanoma of the breast, primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the bilateral breast, advanced breast cancer in a case of Down's syndrome, primary neuroendocrine invasive breast carcinoma, sarcoma of the breast.
 Conclusions: Most of these rare cases are presented to the Breast Oncology clinic in the advanced stage. Breast cancer awareness campaign is highly important for women in Limpopo, particularly when attending primary health care for any other conditions.

What do we Learn From a Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign in a Developing Country? A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Breast cancer (BC) screening and awareness programs are held annually for Iranian women by the collaboration of several governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) organizations. We designed a study to assess the effect of the campaign on women's awareness, education, and the outcome of previously unnoticed breast lesions detected during the campaign screening program. Methods: Through online social media announcements, women were invited to participate in this campaign held in five locations in the capital of Iran. Participants filled a questionnaire about personal data, previous breast problems, BC awareness and screening attitudes. BC screening was only performed via breast examination by surgeons for all women. We called all participants who required further investigation after two years. Results: In this campaign, 418 women with a mean age of 43.19±49.11 were examined. About 42% had some information about BC, mainly acquired from the media. Among women over 50, 30.2% had no previous screenings, and 15.9% had not been referred despite having symptoms. Among the women who needed further investigations according to the campaign evaluation, 71.8% complied with the recommendation to follow-up their case, and two women were diagnosed with BC. Conclusion: Women need more education in the field of BC awareness, and the need for screening; especially after the age of 50. To achieve these goals, using mass media is highly recommended and the experience of the successful campaigns held by a Charity organization and an academic center might be a good guide for preparing a comprehensive protocol.

Are Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns Missing the Mark: Pakistan's Perspective

Are Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns Missing the Mark: Pakistan's Perspective

Assessment of Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns on the Practice of Breast Self-examination: A Survey of Imo State University Undergraduates

Breast cancer has long been thought to be a concern in developed nations, but investigations have revealed that this is no longer the case, with breast cancer now affecting both developed and developing nations. Early identification and treatment among students may be challenging to attain in cases where there is a low degree of breast cancer awareness among students through the practise of breast self-examination (BSE). The goal of this study was to determine how awareness and knowledge of Imo State University undergraduates have influenced the practise of breast self-examination. The theoretical underpinning of this investigation was the health belief model. The methodology adopted for this study was a survey research design. From a population of 20,000 students, the Wimmer and Dominick online sample size calculator was used to determine a sample size of 377. The findings indicated that IMSU students are very aware of breast cancer campaigns. Further findings indicated that undergraduate students have a high level of awareness of breast self-examination. We draw the conclusion that respondents have a very high level of awareness about breast cancer campaigns. Because respondents had a high degree of knowledge about breast self-examination due to their high level of awareness, this has had a favourable impact on their attitudes towards it. It was recommended that encouraging breast self-examination will improve early identification of breast cancer and lower the death rate to the absolute minimum. The government and health organisations are advised to launch more effective programmes on how to prevent BSE in public spaces like schools.

Assessment of Breast Cancer Awareness Among Women of Reproductive Age in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State

Incidence of breast cancer is increasing worldwide. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer as a major cause of cancer death among woman according to national breast cancer foundation in 2016. The current prevalence of breast cancer in Nigeria is 12.5% which implies 1 out of 15 women are living with the disease. This worrisome development will continue to attract attentions and actions of governmentsat all levels, NGOs, health institutions and researchers. The study aims to assess breast cancer among women of reproductive age in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. The sample size of 110 women of child-bearing age were selected randomly across Akure south, eleven political wards through multistage sampling technique. The data generated from in-depth interviews of the informants and from secondary sources like government journals, medical publications, hospital records, NGOs Articles and internet materials were qualitatively analyzed. The study revealed that majority of the respondents did not have adequate breast cancer awareness. The study concluded that the government and critical stakeholders should adopt more proactive approaches towards effective advocacy programmes that can checkmate the high mortality rate of the disease as the existing information channels have not impacted significantly on breast cancer awareness campaigns. Therefore, it is hereby recommended that governments at all levels in collaboration with NGOs, health organizations, religious bodies, mass media, traditional institutions and other stakeholders should intensify well coordinated efforts to create the needed awareness about the scourge among the womenfolk who incidentally have the highest prevalence of the disease.

Assessment Awareness of Breast Cancer Signs, Risk Factors, and Barriers: An Online Cross‑Sectional Study in Syria

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer (BC) is women's most common type of cancer. In LAMICs, breast cancer incidence is low. However, a lack of information about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer potentially results in the disease's progression to life-threatening stages.This study aimed to determine the levels of breast cancer symptom awareness among Syrian women and to identify the variables associated with a high level of awareness.
 
 Methods: From 3 September 2022 to 27 September 2022, Syrian women participated in an online cross-sectional survey to measure their knowledge about breast cancer, risk factors, and symptoms. This survey was derived from previous research that included a comprehensive, authorized scale. The admission requirement was 18-year-old or older Syrian women from all Syrian governorates. The questionnaire was divided into two portions; the first component included sociodemographic characteristics. Based on the original BCAM scale, the second portion assessed the participant's knowledge of breast cancer symptoms, risk factors, and obstacles. Using the IBM SPSS V. 28.0 software, descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed on the data.
 
 Results: Among 1305 study participants, the mean age and standard deviation of the individuals were 30.7 and 11.2, respectively. Students constituted almost three-quarters (75.2%) of the study respondents. The average level of knowledge about risk factors was higher among women with chronic diseases (Mean = 4.44, SD = 2.176), whereas jobless people had a higher average level of information regarding obstacles than other subgroups of practical circumstances. In addition, single women scored higher on the barrier comprehension scale than other marital status groups (mean=3.34, SD=2.32). Only two variables, including age and educational level, were statistically significant in predicting an acceptable degree of knowledge of the risk factors for breast cancer. Participants with a PhD were more aware than other educational subgroups (P-value 0.05; OR =6.186). Participants with a PhD. are projected to be 6.18 times more aware of breast cancer risk factors than those with lower levels of education. Women with chronic conditions were 1.84 times more likely than others to be aware of breast cancer barriers. 
 
 Conclusion: Our findings indicate that Syrian females have a poor to moderate knowledge of breast cancer symptoms, risk factors, and barriers. It is proposed that more breast cancer awareness campaigns be conducted and that yearly screening programs be improved to combat the late detection of this illness. Social media and television might be effective venues for raising awareness of breast self-examination and early identification of symptoms.

SCENARIO OF THE OCCURRENCE OF BREAST CANCER IN PREMENOPAUSAL AND POSTMENOPAUSAL PHASES OF WOMEN IN THE SPAN OF THEIR REPRODUCTIVE PERIOD

Background: Breast cancer, nowadays, becoming a commonly exposed disease in women. In India, 27.7% of all new cancers detected in women in the year 2018, were breast cancers. The Objec Objective: tive of the study is to represent the scenario of the occurrence of breast cancer in premenopausal and postmenopausal phases of women in the span of their reproductive period. Methodology: Various studies were searched using Pub-med and Google search engines. These study were analogously mentioned in this paper. Results: Early age at menarche, late age at menopause and every year older at menopause were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Conclusion: Breast cancer awareness campaigns may have their roles in prevention of occurrence of the disease.

Breast Cancer Knowledge and Screening Practice among Women in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the level of current knowledge regarding breast cancer in Saudi Arabia. We assessed the knowledge of breast cancer risks, the knowledge regarding the BSE and mammogram in Saudi Arabian females using a survey-based study.
 Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered survey to assess the knowledge and practice of Saudi women toward Brest cancer examination. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS program.
 
 Results: A total number of 499 surveys were collected. The data showed that there was general lack of practice of BSE in the sample only 186 (37%) reported that they practiced regular BSE and only 16 (3%) reported that they went to the clinic for breast examination. Among all participants around 54% had poor overall knowledge of breast cancer 65% had poor knowledge regarding breast cancer risk and 93% had poor knowledge regarding clinical examination. Surprisingly, 56% had good knowledge regarding the clinical picture of breast cancer.
 Conclusion: This clearly showed that the lack of breast self-examination, mammogram and clinical examination is not a result of total lack of knowledge but due to lack of knowledge regarding risks and examination. This set of data provide a guideline for the focus and planning of future breast cancer awareness campaigns.

Knowledge, attitude, practice towards breast self-examination and associated factors among women in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021: a community-based study

IntroductionBreast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Breast self-examination is one of the non-invasive methods of screening in which a woman looks at her breast for any abnormal findings like lumps, distortions, or swellings. Despite, realized effects of breast self-examination in detecting breast cancer earlier, the vast majority of the cases still present with an advanced stage.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices toward breast self-examination and associated factors among women in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on women living in Gondar town. A simple random sampling method was used to select 571 participants. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used for data collection. Data was entered into Epi-data version 4.6 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used where a p-value < 0.05 was used to identify variables significantly associated with the outcome variable.ResultFrom the total of 571 women, about 541 participants were involved in the study with a response rate of 94.7%. Of these, 56%, 46% and 45.8% of women had adequate knowledge, favourable attitudes, and performed breast self-examination (BSE) respectively. Women College and above AOR: 3.8 (95% CI: 1.43–10.14) and spouses College and above AOR: 3.03 (95% CI: 1.04–8.84), Women College and above AOR: 4.18 (95% CI: 1.59–10.92) and history of breast cancer AOR: 6.06 (95% CI: 2.19–16.74) and knowledge level AOR: 2.67 (95% CI: 1.18–6.04) were significantly associated with knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards breast self-examination respectively.ConclusionThe findings of this study were considerable for inadequate knowledge, unfavourable attitude and poor practice towards BSE among women. Emphasis should be made on boosting the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the women toward breast self-examination and strengthening the implementation of comprehensive, systematic, and continuous BSE educational programs that were recommended along with a breast cancer awareness campaign.

Self-Rehabilitation Through Dance: An Ethnographic Study on Candy Girls Breast Cancer Survivor Group in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This study intends to examine a breast cancer survivor group called the Candy Girls. Candy Girls comprises 26 to 30 women (aged between 40 and 73 years), who are breast cancer survivors in the post-clinical phase. They all have successfully undergone various combinations of treatment such as lumpectomy, mastectomy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy for breast cancer and are on the path to recovery and post-recovery. In 2010, this group came together for a year-long research conducted by the Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Medicine through the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Realising the benefits of exercise for the well-being of cancer survivors, Candy Girls decided to continue dancing on their own even after the completion of the research study. With the support of breast surgeons at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), this group began a weekly three-hour self-administered exercise session, that is still, to this day, taking place every Saturday. Their activities focus primarily on dance. The group gradually expanded dance genres by incorporating line dance, Latin dances-based Zumba sessions, Malay folk dance forms such as joget and zapin, and Bollywood dance. While the multi-ethnic women are determined to stay healthy and happy through their weekly dance routines, they have made significant impact on women at large by performing dances at Breast Cancer Relays, Awareness Campaigns and Health Conferences. By engaging with this community of survivors, the researchers have not only been able to observe their activities but also to support them through additional yoga and dance trainings. The act of giving back to the community has further strengthened the researchers' relationship with the study subjects and has allowed deeper engagement with the community. This ethnographic research shows that dance as self-rehabilitation, not only enhances physical mobility and emotional well-being, but forges a strong group solidarity among the women as a much-needed support system for survivors.

"I think it is a powerful campaign and does a great job of raising awareness in young women": Findings from Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns targeting young women in Canada.

The purpose of this multi-year study was to replicate a successful breast cancer awareness campaign pilot, targeting young women, and evaluate the campaign effectiveness on multiple Canadian post-secondary school sites. A Canadian charity, Team Shan Breast Cancer Awareness for Young Women (Team Shan), facilitated awareness campaigns on college and university campuses across Western Canada from 2010-2016. Using a pre-post design, young women (17-29 years) on 11 targeted campus sites participated in completing pre- (n = 880) or post-campaign (n = 794) evaluation questionnaires. Questions were designed to evaluate awareness campaign activities, key take home messages, and breast cancer knowledge transfer. Team Shan was successful in developing a variety of strategies to inform young women about their risk of developing breast cancer. The campaigns made a positive impact on young women as an effective public health communication initiative. Findings support health promotion strategies to reach young women, a population at risk of developing breast cancer.

Synthesis and Clinical Development of Palbociclib: An Overview.

Breast cancer is the second most commonly identified cancer in women in the United States after skin cancer. The past few years have seen a substantial increase in breast cancer awareness campaigns and active research in fields of diagnosis and targeted therapy. These factors have led to a better mechanistic understanding of the disease, detection at earlier stages, and a more personalized approach to treatment, ultimately causing a crucial increase in the survival rates after detection. However, with the advances in treatment, cases of patients developing primary resistance and acquired resistance are increasing. Most of the breast cancers which develop resistance to therapy are ER+ and are typically treated with tamoxifen and fulvestrant. These drugs either lower the levels of estrogen or inhibit the receptors for estrogen and prevent the tumor from spreading. Around one-third of women treated with these drugs develop resistance to them, lowering their chances of survival. This has directed the search for newer drug therapies to target advanced breast cancer and resistance. One of these efforts has resulted in the development of Palbociclib, a first in class inhibitor of cyclin dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4 and CDK6), which was granted accelerated approval from the FDA for combination therapy in postmenopausal women with ER+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer. This review is focused on the various aspects of "Palbociclib" including its synthesis, molecular modeling studies, and efficacy and safety profile with data obtained from various clinical trials.

Is “Movember” an Effective Prostate Cancer Awareness Campaign Beyond the English Language? Insights From Google Trends Among Spanish Speakers

Objective To evaluate the impact of the “Movember” awareness campaign (men’s health campaign that takes place every November) on internet search trends for information online about prostate cancer and to compare the results with those for “Pinktober” (the breast cancer awareness campaign that takes place in October) in the Spanish language as an indirect measure of its effectiveness. Methods Google Trends was used to evaluate the monthly relative search volumes (RSV) of the terms “cáncer de próstata” (prostate cancer), “cáncer de mama” (breast cancer), and “Movember” from January 2009 to December 2019 both in Spain and worldwide (in the Spanish language). Breast cancer was used as a comparator of the campaign impact. Mean increase in RSV on-campaign and off-campaign was calculated and compared using the Mann-Whitney U test and Joinpoint regression analysis to assess loss or gain of interest. Results The term “cáncer de próstata” showed a statistically significant increase during the campaign months both in Spain (17.4%; P &lt; 0.001) and worldwide (35.4%; P &lt; 0.001). Both “cáncer de próstata” and Movember showed a decreasing trend worldwide and in Spain, while “cáncer de mama” showed an increasing trend. Conclusion The Movember campaign generates a statistically significant increase in the search trends on “cancer de próstata” (prostate cancer) during the month of November (both in Spain and worldwide); when compared with the breast cancer campaign “Pinktober” these increases are of a lesser magnitude but still significant, suggesting that the campaign is effective beyond the English language, although the interest has been decreasing throughout the years.

Comparison between the Success of Prostate and Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns over “Google Trends” in Turkey

Comparison between the Success of Prostate and Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns over “Google Trends” in Turkey

Men's Knowledge of and Behavior toward Mammography Screening: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background:Breast cancer (BC) is a public health problem that affects many populations worldwide. Women’s health care behavior, including seeking mammography screening, might be affected by men, especially in conservative Arab societies. Few studies have investigated men’s behavior toward mammography for female relatives. The main aims of this study were (i) to evaluate men’s knowledge about mammography screening and (ii) to assess men’s behavior toward women regarding mammogram screening and the factors influencing their behavior. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among male residents of the five main geographic areas of Saudi Arabia. Data were obtained with a self-administered questionnaire. In addition to sociodemographic data, the questionnaire assessed respondents’ general knowledge about mammograms, their behavior toward female family members who use mammography, and their perceptions about awareness campaigns.Results:A total of 9691 male respondents were included in the study. The majority (79%) recommended mammography to their female family members. Multiple factors were significantly associated with men recommending mammograms, including age (P<0.01), education (P<0.01), employment status (P<0.01), and region (P<0.01). Only 33.8% of the participants had a high knowledge score about mammography. Approximately 45% of respondents reported that BC awareness campaigns were weak, while 48% were not aware of BC screening programs. Conclusions:Despite their positive behavior in recommending mammograms to female relatives, men exhibited a notable lack of knowledge about mammography. Establishing national programs and educational campaigns for men to explain the benefits of screening and access to free mammography are essential.

The first BGICC consensus and recommendations for breast cancer awareness, early detection and risk reduction in low- and middle-income countries and the MENA region.

In low-middle income countries (LMICs) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, there is an unmet need to establish and improve breast cancer (BC) awareness, early diagnosis and risk reduction programs. During the 12th Breast, Gynecological & Immuno-oncology International Cancer Conference - Egypt 2020, 26 experts from 7 countries worldwide voted to establish the first consensus for BC awareness, early detection and risk reduction in LMICs/MENA region. The panel advised that there is an extreme necessity for a well-developed BC data registries and prospective clinical studies that address alternative modalities/modified BC screening programs in areas of limited resources. The most important recommendations of the panel were: (a) BC awareness campaigns should be promoted to public and all adult age groups; (b) early detection programs should combine geographically distributed mammographic facilities with clinical breast examination (CBE); (c) breast awareness should be encouraged; and (d) intensive surveillance and chemoprevention strategies should be fostered for high-risk women. The panel defined some areas for future clinical research, which included the role of CBE and breast self-examination as an alternative to radiological screening in areas of limited resources, the interval and methodology of BC surveillance in women with increased risk of BC and the use of low dose tamoxifen in BC risk reduction. In LMICs/MENA region, BC awareness and early detection campaigns should take into consideration the specific disease criteria and the socioeconomic status of the target population. The statements with no consensus reached should serve as potential catalyst for future clinical research.