Breast Cancer Screening Methods Research Articles

Studying Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior of Breast Cancer Screening Methods among Behshahr Dwelling Women

Background and purpose: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among all widespread cancers worldwide. After lung cancer, breast cancer is the main cause of death among women. One of the best ways to detect this disease early is to do screening. This study has been done to analyze the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of women regarding the breast cancer screening methods. Materials and Methods: The study is of cross-sectional descriptive type. The participants were 500 Behshahr dwelling women above 20 years old selected based on cluster sampling. The instrument used was a 34-item questionnaire to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of the women. The data has been analyzed through inferential statistical methods. Results: The participants' age mean was 35.16. The average knowledge score of the disease and screening methods was 1.3 and 54.6. The average attitude score of was 82.5. Regarding behavior, 13.1 percent do regular self-examination, and 15.2 percent do regular clinical examination. 16.7 percent of women have one experience of doing mammography. In the present study, there was a significant relation among knowledge, attitude and behavior. Conclusion: Since the knowledge of women was at average level and the behavior of using the screening methods was weak, planning to enable and motivate women to use the screening methods is highly emphasized. [*Naghibi A. Shojaizadeh D. Montazeri A. Yazdanicherati J. Studying knowledge, Attitude & Behavior of Breast Cancer Screening Methods among Behshahr Dwelling Women. IJHS 2013; 1(2):75-82] http://jhs.mazums.ac.ir

Evaluation of BreastLight as a Tool for Early Detection of Breast Lesions among Females Attending National Cancer Institute, Cairo University

Breast illumination was suggested as a simple method for breast cancer screening. BreastLight is a simple apparatus for this purpose. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of BreastLight as a screening tool of breast cancer in comparison to mammography and histopathology. This hospital-based cross sectional study was conducted in the mammography unit of the radiodiagnosis department at National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. All participants were subjected to breast examination with the BreastLight tool, mammography and ultrasonography. Suspicious cases were biopsied for histopathological examination which is considered as a gold standard. The mean age of the participants was 46.3±12.4 years. Breast illumination method had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and total accuracy of 93.0%, 73.7%, 91.4%, 77.8% and 88.2%, respectively in detection of breast cancer. Breast illumination method with BreastLight apparatus is a promising easy-to-use tool to screen for breast cancer suitable for primary health care physician or at-home use. It needs further evaluation especially in asymptomatic women.

Screening programs about breast with clinical and para clinical examination on women who were referred to Behbood hospital in Tabriz 2010

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Screening can reduce the rate of cancer and mortality. The aim of this study is Description of Screening programs about Breast masses with clinical and Para clinical examination. Methods: This is a descriptive study on 952 women who had volunteered or were referred to Tabriz Behbood hospital during one-year period. Data was collected by questionnaire. The questionnaire was three parts, including: demographic and midwifery characteristics, results of clinical breast exams and reports of ultrasound, mammography and pathology. Descriptive and deduction statistics (chi-square and Mc Nemar) was used for statistical data analysis. Results: The results of Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) showed that 26.8% of fitness of left Breast was abnormal and it was 23.2% in right Breast. In left Breast 51.1% was painful and 33.4% had mass in breast. In right breast 43% were painful and 26.2% had mass in breast. After CBE, mammography was requested for 38.7% women, ultrasound for 35.6% and both of them for 18.2%. Mammography report, 12.9% mass and 32.5% benign lesions and sonography reports, 14% mass, 18.9% benign lesions were distinguished. On 8.5% samples, pathological survey was performed and 35 cases had breast cancer. There was a statistical relation between CBE-mammography, CBE- sonography, pathology-mammography and pathology- sonography (P<0.05) Conclusion: According to the results, accurate physical exam besides imaging could be as an effective method for breast cancer screening.

Performance of breast cancer screening methods and modality among Chinese women: a report from a society-based breast screening program (SBSP) in Shanghai

To evaluate the screening performance of individual and combined use of clinical breast examination, ultrasonography and mammography in Chinese women, we conducted a biennial breast cancer screening program among 14,464 women aged 35 to 74 years old who lived in Qibao County, Minhang district of Shanghai, China, between May 2008 and Sept 2012. All participants were submitted to clinical breast examination, and then women with positive results and all women at age of 45-69 years old were preformed breast ultrasonography and mammography. The examination results were compared against pathological findings as the gold standard of reference. A total of 66 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the two rounds of the screening, yielding an incident rate of 194 per 100,000 person-years. The sensitivity of clinical breast examination, ultrasonography and mammography alone were 61.4%, 53.7% and 67.3%, respectively. While mammography performed better in elder age groups and hormone receptor positive disease groups, ultrasonography had a higher sensitivity in younger age group and did not differ in sensitivity by estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor status. Combined use of the two imaging examinations increased the sensitivity in almost all age groups, but had a higher sensitivity in hormone receptor positive cancers than in those negative. Our results suggest that the Qibao modality is an effective strategy for breast cancer screening among Chinese women, especially for early detection of elder and hormone receptor positive breast cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-276) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Early Detection of Breast Cancer among Women in Mazandaran, Iran

Background and purpose: After lung cancer, breast cancer, among the prevalent cancers of the world is of the most widespread disease among women. It is the most common cause of mortality among women. This study aimed to analyze the results using breast cancer screening methods among women over 20 years old. Materials and methods: The present study is a cross-sectional-descriptive research. The sample volume is 1416 women over 20 years in Mazandaran province. One hundred forty one clusters of 10 families including 81 urban clusters and 60 rural clusters were determined at thought the province. The questionnaires were completed by the subjects through direct administration. The data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) statistical software and descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Results: The results show that 46% of study women had self – examination record and 14.3% of them had regular and monthly self – examination, 38% of women had breast clinical examination by a physician. And 20.7%, breast clinical examination was done regularly and annually. Fourteen percent of women had mammography record, in which only 3.5% was done at a regular time interval every 3 years. Conclusion: According to the findings, women performance about the early detection of breast cancer was not satisfactory. Thus, planning and designing appropriate educational interventions within socio-cultural conditions and using health training models can lead to promoting breast cancer early detection performance among women over 20 years.

11P - Preventive Diagnostics of Breast Cancer

Primary prevention and early detection of cancer are areas of growing interest in oncology as they present the most powerful weapon in fighting cancer and the curability rates increase with earlier disease detection. Breast cancer is one of the most often diagnosed tumors and one of the biggest public health issues, and the importance of the detection of high-risk individuals has been recognized decades ago. Such high-risk individuals are candidates for earlier and more frequent implementation of breast cancer screening methods. To recognize high-risk women, it is necessary to individually investigate the presence or absence of all risk factors known up to date and express them as a single number which will present one's risk for breast cancer development. PrOnDi (Preventive Oncology Diagnostics) questionnaire is designed to detect high risk persons for tumors of 18 different localizations. It consists of 84 questions in total and 18 of those are related to breast cancer risk factors. All the anwers to the PrOnDi questionnaire are linked to certain relative risk value, connected to a specific breast cancer risk factor. As a person completes the questionnaire, all the relative risks for breast cancer are summarized according to the carefully designed formula and a person is classified into one of three possible risk groups (traffic-light concept): red-high risk (breast cancer risk is significantly higher compared to general population); yellow-moderate risk (risk is moderately higher than in general population); green-low risk (risk is comparable to that in general population). In the pre-pilot testing of the PrOnDi questionnaire, 59 women with previously diagnosed breast cancer were given the questionnaire. The results were very encouraging: 98.3% of patients were classified in the moderate (28.81%) or high risk (69.49%) groups, and only 1.7% were classified in the 'green' group. According to these results, the PrOnDi questionnaire could present a powerful tool in breast cancer prevention, early diagnosis and detection of high risk individuals. Of course, prior to definite conclusions, a survey of a much larger number of healthy individuals must be performed, but preliminary results are very optimistic and we might have a valuable tool for the future of oncology. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Wavelet-based noise-model driven denoising algorithm for differential phase contrast mammography

Traditional mammography can be positively complemented by phase contrast and scattering x-ray imaging, because they can detect subtle differences in the electron density of a material and measure the local small-angle scattering power generated by the microscopic density fluctuations in the specimen, respectively. The grating-based x-ray interferometry technique can produce absorption, differential phase contrast (DPC) and scattering signals of the sample, in parallel, and works well with conventional X-ray sources; thus, it constitutes a promising method for more reliable breast cancer screening and diagnosis. Recently, our team proved that this novel technology can provide images superior to conventional mammography. This new technology was used to image whole native breast samples directly after mastectomy. The images acquired show high potential, but the noise level associated to the DPC and scattering signals is significant, so it is necessary to remove it in order to improve image quality and visualization. The noise models of the three signals have been investigated and the noise variance can be computed. In this work, a wavelet-based denoising algorithm using these noise models is proposed. It was evaluated with both simulated and experimental mammography data. The outcomes demonstrated that our method offers a good denoising quality, while simultaneously preserving the edges and important structural features. Therefore, it can help improve diagnosis and implement further post-processing techniques such as fusion of the three signals acquired.

Evidence for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Recommendations Against Routine Mammography for Females between 40-49 Years of Age

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females, worldwide, accounting for 22.9% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) in women. Mammography is a sensitive (77-95%) and specific (94-97%) screening method for breast cancer. Previously, females between the 40-50 years old were recommended to have mammograms every one to two years. However, based on current evidence, in 2009, USPSTF recommended that the decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography for females younger than 50 years should be an individual decision and take patient context into account, including patient values regarding specific benefits and harms. This decision was based on findings regarding radiation exposure, false-positive and false-negative rates, over-diagnosis, and pain and psychological responses. The goal of this paper is to focus on evidence for updating the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation against routine mammography for females between 40-49 years of age.

Compliance with Screening Recommendations According to Breast Cancer Risk Levels in Izmir, Turkey

Early diagnosis has a major role in improving prognosis of breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk status of women 35-69 years of age using risk assessment models and the prevalence of mammography in a community setting. The sample of this cross sectional study consisted of 227 women, 35-69 years of age residing in Izmir, a city located in western region of Turkey. A questionnaire was used to collect data and the Gail and Cuzick-Tyrer models were applied to assess the risk of breast cancer. In this study, 52.7% of women had mammography at least once, and 41.3% of the women over the age of 40 had mammography screening in the last two years. The five years risk for breast cancer was high in 15.8% of women according to the Gail model and ten years risk was high in 21.7% with the Cuzick-Tyrer model. In the present study, the breast cancer risk levels were assessed in a population setting for the first time in Turkey using breast cancer risk level assessment models. Being in 60-69 age group, having low education and not being in menopause were significant risk factors for not having mammography according to logistic regression analysis. Mammography utilization rate was low. Women must be educated about breast cancer screening methods and early diagnosis. The women in the high risk group should be informed on their risk status which may increase their attendance at breast cancer screening.

Online advertising by three commercial breast imaging services: Message takeout and effectiveness

Mammography is widely acknowledged to be the most cost-effective technique for population screening for breast cancer. Recently in Australia, imaging modalities other than mammography, including thermography, electrical impedance, and computerised breast imaging, have been increasingly promoted as alternative methods of breast cancer screening. This study assessed the impact of three commercial breast imaging companies' promotional material upon consumers' beliefs about the effectiveness of the companies' technology in detecting breast cancer, and consumers' intentions to seek more information or consider having their breasts imaged by these modalities. Results showed 90% of respondents agreed that the companies' promotional material promoted the message that the advertised breast imaging method was effective in detecting breast cancer, and 80% agreed that the material promoted the message that the imaging method was equally or more effective than a mammogram. These findings have implications for women's preference for and uptake of alternative breast imaging services over mammography.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria Breast Cancer Screening

Mammography is the recommended method for breast cancer screening of women in the general population. However, mammography alone does not perform as well as mammography plus supplemental screening in high-risk women. Therefore, supplemental screening with MRI or ultrasound is recommended in selected high-risk populations. Screening breast MRI is recommended in women at high risk for breast cancer on the basis of family history or genetic predisposition. Ultrasound is an option for those high-risk women who cannot undergo MRI. Recent literature also supports the use of breast MRI in some women of intermediate risk, and ultrasound may be an option for intermediate-risk women with dense breasts. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of other imaging modalities, such as thermography, breast-specific gamma imaging, positron emission mammography, and optical imaging, for breast cancer screening. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 2 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review includes an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances in which evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.

Extracting Fuzzy Rules for Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

About one million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Breast cancer makes up one-third of all cancer diagnoses in women. Diagnosing breast cancer early is vital for successful treatment. Among the breast cancer screening methods available today, mammography is the most effective, although the low precision rate of breast biopsy caused by mammogram interpretation results in approximately 70% unnecessary biopsies with benign outcomes. The aim of this study was to extract strong diagnostic fuzzy rules for the inference engine of an expert system to be used for the diagnosis of breast cancer. These rules have been extracted through the use of artificial intelligence technologies. For this, a neuro-fuzzy classification tool called NEFCLASS was used. The learning algorithm of this tool is heuristic and it has efficient performance diagnosis and classification tasks. The rule base to be used for diagnosis consists of 9 rules using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), mass shape, and mass margin attributes. The positive predictive value of this rule base is 75% and the negative predictive value is 93%. When the approximately 70% rate of unnecessary biopsy in the diagnosis process is taken into consideration, an expert system that has this strong rule base with a high predictive value can be used by doctors in deciding whether to conduct biopsies.

Literacy and Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment among Patients in a Tertiary Health Institution of Lagos Nigeria

Patients' interpretation of symptoms as a sign of cancer could also influence health seeking behaviour. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of literacy on breast cancer diagnosis and treatment with the hope that the study may enable a more holistic approach to the management, prevention and control of breast cancer. This is a descriptive cross sectional study conducted among breast cancer patients of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. A total of 190 histologically diagnosed breast cancer patients were recruited based on a breast cancer prevalence of 13.9% in a study conducted at Maiduguri, Nigeria (12), using the statistical formula Z 2 PQ/d 2 . Out of one hundred and ninety patients studied, mean age calculated was 32years. The peak age range was 51- 60yrs (22.1%). There was a statistically significant association between level of education and awareness and practice of the breast cancer screening methods. Clear communication tailored to patient culture and literacy is essential in improving the awareness and positive attitudes towards the benefits of early breast cancer screening so as to have better outcome.

BRCA2 Promoter Hypermethylation in Sporadic Breast Cancer

<i>BRCA2</i> Promoter Hypermethylation in Sporadic Breast Cancer

English

Globally, the devastation that befalls women diagnosed of breast cancer remains inestimable. Early detection remains a major effective approach that should be employed to combat the disease. The issue of concern, however, is whether women in the rural underserved areas are aware of these early detection methods. This study was designed to assess rural women&rsquo;s awareness and knowledge of breast cancer and their screening practices. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing self developed structured questionnaire. Reliability of the instrument was determined and alpha correlation values range between 0.81 and 0.95 for the different components of the questionnaire. Data was processed using descriptive analysis and associations tested with Chi-square at 5% level of significance. The results of the findings showed that 52.7% of the women had adequate knowledge about breast cancer risk factors and symptoms. Regarding the women&rsquo;s awareness about breast cancer screening methods, 52.8 and 51.7% of women have heard about Breast Self-Examination (BSE) and Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) respectively. However, few numbers of respondents (3.9%) were aware about mammography and these are people who did it for the purpose of diagnosing breast problem. Majority of the women (72.8%) did not practice BSE which is the most readily available screening method. Considering the lack of sophisticated diagnostic technology such as mammography for breast screening in the rural areas, BSE provided a unique opportunity for the women to be breast aware and to identify breast problems which may constitute danger to their health in the future. Health care professionals, most especially those at the primary health care level, should enhance the women&rsquo;s skills to use this simple procedure effectively to promote their health. &nbsp; Key words:&nbsp;Community health nurses, breast awareness, breast examination, knowledge, practice.

Breast cancer screening among Arabic women living in the State of Qatar: Awareness, knowledge, and participation in screening activities

Abstract Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the State of Qatar, and the incidence rate is rising. Previous findings indicate women in Qatar are often diagnosed with breast cancer at advanced stages and their participation rates in screening activities are low. Purpose: To investigate within the State of Qatar Arabic women’s knowledge regarding breast cancer and breast cancer screening (BCS) methods and their participation rates in BCS. This paper reports on the results of a cross-sectional survey. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional interview survey was conducted with 1,063 Arabic women (Qatari citizens and non-Qatari Arabic-speaking residents), 35 years of age or older, from March 2011 to July 2011. Results: Of the 1,063 women interviewed (87.5% response rate), 90.7% were aware of breast cancer; 7.6% were assessed with having basic knowledge of BCS, 28.9% were aware of breast self-examination (BSE), 41.8% were aware of clinical breast exams (CBE), and 26.9% were aware of mammograms. Of the women interviewed, 13.8% performed BSE monthly, 31.3% had a CBE once a year or once every two years, and 26.9% of women 40 years of age or older had a mammogram once a year or once every two years. Participation rates in BCS activities were significantly related to awareness and knowledge of BCS, education levels, and receiving information about breast cancer, self-examination or mammography from any of a variety of sources, particularly physicians. Conclusions: Study results demonstrate that despite the existent breast cancer screening recommendations, less than one-third of Arabic women living in Qatar participate in BCS activities. Public health campaigns encouraging more proactive roles for health care professionals regarding awareness and knowledge of breast cancer, BCS, and the benefits of early detection of breast cancer will help increase screening rates and reduce mortality rates among Arabic women living in the State of Qatar.

Clinical breast exam, and mammography in women referred to health centers in Tabriz, Iran.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second principal cause of cancer death in women as well as the most common cause of death in Iranian women aged 35-55 years. Detection of breast cancer in its early stages is amenable to almost complete cure. Breast cancer screening comprises breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography. The study aimed to examine the performance of CBE and mammography among women referring to health centers of Tabriz, Iran. This was a descriptive-analytical research carried out on 400 women aged 20-50 years. The samples were chosen through random multistage sampling among health centers of Tabriz then active records of women. A questionnaire and observational checklist was used to elicit socio-demographic information and performance of women towards breast cancer screening methods. Descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square and Fisher&rsquo;s exact test) were used to analyze the data through SPSS 13. Only 19.1% of women had clinical breast examination and 3.3% had mammogram. The main reasons why women had not performed breast cancer screening were as follows: being unaware of breast screening methods, not having a breast problem and not feeling the necessity... There was a significant correlation between performing CBE and history of breast tumor and also, between performing the mammography and family history of breast cancer and history of breast tumor (P < 0.05). The findings showed that the performance of breast cancer screening methods was not satisfactory. In addition, their performance in high risk women was very desirable than others. The presentation of imperative education about breast cancer screening methods through health staff especially in pregnancy, post-partum and even in premarriage councelling periods seems necessary.

Knowledge and Practices on Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Methods among Female Health Care Workers: A Sri Lankan Experience

Breast and cervical cancer are the most common causes of cancer mortality among women worldwide, but they are largely preventable. There are limited data on knowledge and practices on screening methods of breast and cervical cancers among female health care workers in Sri Lanka, in spite of having an organized screening programme islandwide. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 219 female health care workers including public health midwives (68.9%) selected from 6 districts in Sri Lanka using convenient sampling methods. A self-administered questionnaire was used as a pre-test in a capacity building training programme to collect the data. The mean (SD) duration of work experience of the respondents was 12 years and 52.5% were aged over 35 years. Most (76.7%) were married, and a family history of cancer was reported by 24.2%. Over 98% knew about self breast examination. Even though 84.1% practiced it, only 47.9% practiced it on a monthly basis. Clinical breast examination and mammography were known by 94.1% and 64.3% respectively. Only 19.2% had undergone a clinical breast examination within one year and 3.6% had ever undergone a mammography. Only 76.3% knew that a Pap smear detects precancerous stage of cervical cancer. Among 169 married workers, 73.4% had never had a Pap smear and only 17.2% had got it done within the preceding 5 years. Among the reasons for not doing a pap smear within 5 years, 47.0% believed it as not necessary, 17.3% due to fear/dislike, 23.2% as not having symptoms, 3% had not known about it and 3% not known about availability of services. The study findings suggest that the knowledge and practices on breast and cervical cancer screening methods among female health care workers need to be improved. Considering the role that health care workers play in communicating health behaviors to the general public, strengthening health education interventions for this group of females is essential.

The effect of education about breast self-examination on knowledge, attitude and practice of women in Nourabad Mamasani health clinics, 2009

One of the methods of breast cancer screening is its self-examination. This study reviews the effect of education about breast self-examination on women’s knowledge, attitude and practice. Material and Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 100 (50 cases, 50 controls) women who referred to health centers in NourAbadMamasani. The participants in the experimental group were trained during 3 sessions. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire consisting of four parts: personal details, and questions on knowledge, attitude and practice. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software using T-test, ANOVA, Regression and Chi square. Results: The results of the study showed that education increased the women's awareness, attitude and performance of breast self-examination. The mean scores of awareness, attitude and performance significantly increased after the educational intervention in the experimental group (p=/001) as compared to the control group (p=0.309, p=0.233, p=0.489). Conclusion: There is a need that health care centers provide some educational courses on prevention and treatment of breast cancer for women in the appropriate time.

35 Knowledge and Awareness of Female Staff of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital on Breast Cancer Screening and Treatment

Background: Early presentation of patients with breast cancer is enhanced by the use of population based screening mammograms. In the absence of this, opportunistic screening may be employed. We hypothesized that female staff of the LUTH are likely to have a high use of mammograms in order to screen them for malignant breast disorders and will have a positive disposition to opportunistic screening. Materials and Methods: Questionnaire based study. Hospital staff were randomly approached to give information about knowledge on breast cancer screening methods and use of opportunistic screening. There were a total of 179 respondents. Sixty Nine (38.5%) were less than 40 years while 83 (46.4%) were more than 40 years, while 27 (15%) did not indicate their age. The ages ranged from 20 to 62 yrs with a mean of 39.36 and mode of 40. Eighty (44.7%) were nurses, 69 (38.5%) were medical doctors while administrative and supportive staff were 17 (9.5%), while 13 (7.3%) did not indicate their occupation. All of the respondents have heard of breast cancer before but only 147 (82.1%) had been involved in the care of patients with breast cancer before. Only 50 (27.9%) knew that early breast cancer could be asymptomatic, whereas 141 (78.8%) knew that breast cancer could present with a lump 50 (27.9%) felt it could present as an ulcer, 93 (52%) nipple discharge, 76 (42.5%) breast pain and 52 armpit swelling. 139 (77.7%) felt that breast cancer was curable and 67 (37.4%) felt that prayers could cure breast cancer, 100 (55.9%) surgery, 92 (51.4%) chemotherapy and 134 (74.9%) early detection and 77 (43%) radiotherapy 21 (11.7%) did not know any treatment method for breast cancer. On the frequency of Breast Self Examination, 114 (63.7%) chose monthly, 40 (22.3%) said weekly while 18 (10.1%) said annually. While 127 (70.9%) said that mammography could be used to diagnose breast cancer, only 98 (54.7%) said it could be used to screen for breast cancer. Eighty (44.7%) of respondents felt that mammography is indicated after 40 years while 61 (34.1%) said after 30 years and 11 (6.1%) felt it was only indicated after 50 years. Only 11(6.1% of total and 13.2% of >40yrs) of respondents have had a mammogram done before. On their reaction if a male doctor requested to examine their breast when the primary complaint was not in the breast, 70 (39.1%) were indifferent, 49 (27.4%) were embarrassed, 9 (5%) were angry while 41 (22.9%) would refuse the request. Conclusion: There is high level of awareness about breast cancer by staff of the hospital. There is still some deficiency of knowledge about screening methods. The use of mammography by women is still low and most of the women will not agree to opportunistic screening if the physician were male.