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Global Public Health Jan 2024This scoping review summarises the findings of research conducted on cancer screening in Bangladesh, including the prevalence, awareness, barriers, and evaluation of... (Review)
Review
This scoping review summarises the findings of research conducted on cancer screening in Bangladesh, including the prevalence, awareness, barriers, and evaluation of screening programmes, by performing a comprehensive search of electronic databases and gray literature. 25 studies that met inclusion criteria were included in the final analysis. Most of the studies were about screening for cervical cancer, were quantitative, were cross-sectional, and were conducted in hospital settings. The main challenges to screening uptake were shyness, fear, a lack of knowledge, and an inadequate understanding of the concept of screening. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) was found to be a simple and cost-efficient way to detect early-stage cervical cancer. However, breast self-examination (BSE) was reported to be insufficient. Education was found to have a positive impact on cancer screening knowledge and practice, but more needs to be done to improve screening rates, such as the utilisation of media, particularly in rural areas. The results of this scoping review highlight Bangladesh's low cancer screening prevalence and uptake and suggest that targeted awareness campaigns and enhanced access to screening services are required to increase cancer screening uptake and reduce the cancer burden in Bangladesh.
Topics: Humans; Bangladesh; Early Detection of Cancer; Female; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Mass Screening; Male
PubMed: 38752425
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2024.2351186 -
BMJ Open May 2024To assess practice of breast self-examination (BSE) and associated factors among women of reproductive age in the North Shoa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia.
Practice of breast self-examination and associated factors among women of reproductive age in the North Shoa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2022: a convergent mixed-methods study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess practice of breast self-examination (BSE) and associated factors among women of reproductive age in the North Shoa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia.
DESIGN
Community-based cross-sectional study with a convergent mixed-methods approach.
SETTING
The study was conducted in the North Shoa Zone of Oromia, Central Ethiopia, between 1 May 2022 and 30 June 2022.
PARTICIPANTS
1076 women of reproductive age were selected using simple random sampling technique for the quantitative study. For the qualitative part, a total of 46 women were approached purposively to elicit rich ideas and insight into the issue. The quantitative data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, and focus group discussions were used for the qualitative part. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS V.26. An adjusted OR with a 95% CI was employed. Thematic analysis approach was applied for the qualitative data analysis.
OUTCOME MEASURES
Participants were interviewed to respond whether they practised BSE.
RESULTS
Overall, 192 (18.2%; 15.7%-20.5%) of the participants had ever performed BSE. Having a family history of breast cancer (BC) (adjusted OR (AOR)=6.9, 95% CI 4.6 to 10.3), being knowledgeable on BSE (AOR=3, 95% CI 1.9 to 4.3), having high perceived susceptibility (AOR=1.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.5), having high self-efficacy (AOR=1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.3) and having a high perceived benefit to BSE (AOR=1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.3) were significantly associated with increased odds of BSE practice.Four main themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: BC and BSE-related knowledge, perceived benefits of treatment, barriers to BSE practice and enablers of BSE practice.
CONCLUSION
The practice of BSE in this area was considerably low. The North Shoa Zonal Health Office and other stakeholders should disseminate instructional materials that cover the techniques and benefits of regularly performing BSE. Healthcare professionals should engage in the community to address the obstacles women face in practising BSE.
Topics: Humans; Female; Ethiopia; Breast Self-Examination; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Breast Neoplasms; Middle Aged; Young Adult; Surveys and Questionnaires; Adolescent; Focus Groups; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 38749697
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073951 -
Women's Health (London, England) 2024Breast cancer is prevalent worldwide, with disparities in screening, diagnosis, treatment outcomes, and survival. In Africa, the majority of women are diagnosed at...
The role of clinical breast examination and fine needle aspiration cytology in early detection of breast cancer: A cross-sectional study nested in a cohort in a low-resource setting.
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer is prevalent worldwide, with disparities in screening, diagnosis, treatment outcomes, and survival. In Africa, the majority of women are diagnosed at advanced stages, affecting treatment outcomes. Screening is one of the best strategies to reduce mortality rates caused by this cancer. Yet in a resource-constrained setting, there is limited access to screening and early detection services, which are available only at a few referral hospitals.
OBJECTIVES
We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and screening results of breast cancer using clinical breast examination coupled with fine needle aspiration cytology in a resource-constraint setting.
DESIGN
A combined cross-sectional and cohort study.
METHODS
Women at risk of developing breast cancer in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania were invited, through public announcements, to their primary healthcare facilities. A questionnaire was used to assess the participants' characteristics. The women received a clinical breast examination, and detectable lesions were subjected to a confirmatory fine needle aspiration cytology or an excisional biopsy. Preliminary data from this ongoing breast cancer control program were extracted and analyzed for this study.
RESULTS
A total of 3577 women were screened for breast cancer; their mean age was 47 ± 7.53 years. About a third of them (1145, 32%) were practicing self-breast examination at least once a month. Of 200 (5.6%) with abnormal clinical breast examination, 18 (9%) were confirmed to be breast cancer, making the prevalence to be 0.5%. The vast majority of participants with breast cancer (13, 72.2%) had early disease stages, and infiltrating ductal carcinoma, no special type, was the most common (15, 83.3%) histopathology subtype. Hormonal receptor status determination results indicated that 11 (61.1%), 7 (38.9%), and 5 (27.8%) of the tumors overexpressed estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal receptor-2, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrates 5.6% of Tanzanian women have abnormal clinical breast examination findings, with 9% having breast cancer. Nearly three-quarters (72.2%) of breast cancer screened for early disease were detected in the early disease stages. This finding suggests that organized screening with clinical breast examination coupled with fine needle aspiration cytology, which is a simple and cost-effective screening method, has the potential to improve early detection and outcomes for breast cancer patients in a resource-constraint setting.
Topics: Humans; Female; Breast Neoplasms; Cross-Sectional Studies; Biopsy, Fine-Needle; Tanzania; Middle Aged; Early Detection of Cancer; Adult; Cohort Studies; Physical Examination; Mass Screening; Prevalence; Aged; Cytology
PubMed: 38725253
DOI: 10.1177/17455057241250131 -
Cureus Apr 2024Background Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in the world. Timely detection is important to reduce the rate of deaths. Among the various...
Background Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in the world. Timely detection is important to reduce the rate of deaths. Among the various screening modalities, self-breast examination is suggested as an easy, inexpensive method, especially in low-resource settings. Objective To understand women's perspective on self-breast examination and analyze the benefits and barriers of self-breast examination. Method The total number of study participants was 100. After obtaining informed consent, the study participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire on their perspective towards self-breast examination along with the benefits and barriers of performing the examination. Results Among the study participants, 66% of women were aware of self-breast examination. Only 8% were aware of the age to begin self-breast examination. Lack of privacy was considered as a barrier in 18% of women and embarrassment as a barrier was 14%. Almost all (99%) agreed that completing a self-breast examination each month may help them find breast lumps early. Conclusion The participants were reasonably aware of the term self-breast examination. But the clearcut procedure, the age to begin the examination and changes to be picked up on the examination were all unknown and hence must be emphasized at the society level. Overcoming the barriers and accepting the benefits of self-breast examinations are necessary to adopt this examination as a regular practice.
PubMed: 38707074
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.58962 -
SAGE Open Nursing 2024Mammograms are sometimes met with issues of overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis; therefore, they are less reliable in identifying cancer in women with dense breasts. As a...
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Mammograms are sometimes met with issues of overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis; therefore, they are less reliable in identifying cancer in women with dense breasts. As a result, it is critical to be aware of other sensitive screening techniques for the early diagnosis of breast cancer.
AIM
The ultimate objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of nursing undergraduates regarding non-invasive biomarkers, such as volatile organic compounds in breath, nipple aspirate fluid, sweat, urine, and tears, for the early detection of breast cancer to help improve patient care, determine the risk factors, and encourage practice of breast self-examination.
METHODS
Cross-sectional research was done in the Department of Nursing at Farasan campus using a self-structured questionnaire as the study tool. A total of 260 students willingly participated. The study tool had evaluation questions focused on the non-invasive biomarkers of breast cancer, risk factors, and breast self-examination practices to collect data. The data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The statistical significance was calculated at < .05. Data analyses were done using Microsoft Excel (2013).
RESULTS
A ignificant knowledge gap existed among the study participants about the non-invasive biomarkers of breast cancer. A lesser percentage of students (25%) stated that they do breast self-examination on a monthly basis. The most common reasons for not doing the breast self-examination were "not knowing how to do the breast self-examination" (77.3%), fear of a positive diagnosis (53.9%), thinking that they are not at risk as all were in their teens and hence not required (44.7%), and lack of time (48.7%). Age and frequency of breast self-examination were significantly associated ( < .05) as those few students (22.7%) who were doing breast self-examination practices every 2-4 months belonged to a higher study year. Furthermore, knowledge regarding incidence rates and health care expenditure by the government on breast cancer was also significantly low ( < .05).
CONCLUSIONS
Outcomes would help prioritize actions to help future nurses better understand breast cancer, allowing them to extend patient care in the best way possible.
PubMed: 38681865
DOI: 10.1177/23779608241248519 -
Cureus Mar 2024Breast cancer is one of the significant causes of mortality in India, ranking second only to cervical cancer among women. Annually, the country has witnessed the...
INTRODUCTION AND AIM
Breast cancer is one of the significant causes of mortality in India, ranking second only to cervical cancer among women. Annually, the country has witnessed the detection of 200,000 new cases, with 60% identified in the early stages. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a health education intervention program designed to enhance knowledge about breast cancer among women in rural Karnataka.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A descriptive study design was employed and a total of 320 women were selected through multi-stage sampling. The educational intervention involved a PowerPoint presentation by the investigator, which was followed by group discussions that culminated with plenary sessions for clarifying the doubts of respondents. At the end of every educational session, pre-designed, pre-tested, and validated questionnaires, comprising a mix of structured and semi-structured questions, were completed by the respondents as part of the post-test. Results: Among the participants, 44.7% were educated up to the primary level, a majority (64.1%) were employed, and most (90.3%) were married. Additionally, 56.9% reported a monthly income below 3000 Indian rupees (₹), with the majority (86.3%) falling below the poverty line (BPL) category. A statistically significant improvement (p = 0.0001) in knowledge related to breast health, breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, and mammography was observed in the post-intervention phase when compared to the pre-test. 86.2% of the respondents showed an increase in knowledge level about breast health (either from poor to moderate or from moderate to good) and the practice of breast self-examination increased from 4.7% (pre-test) to 60.3% (post-test). Conclusion: The study demonstrated a significant enhancement in women's knowledge levels after implementing the health education intervention program. These findings underscore the importance of health education strategies in raising awareness of lifestyle diseases, particularly breast cancer, among women.
PubMed: 38618335
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.56157 -
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary... Feb 2024Breast cancer awareness and early detection are critical for reducing the global burden of the disease. This study assessed breast cancer awareness among women in a...
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer awareness and early detection are critical for reducing the global burden of the disease. This study assessed breast cancer awareness among women in a high-altitude sub-Himalayan region of North India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among women attending the gynecology outpatient clinic in a district hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Participants received posttest health education and counseling on breast cancer prevention strategies.
RESULT
The study included 188 participants with a mean age of 31.0 ± 8.8 years. The findings revealed inadequate knowledge about breast cancer among a significant portion of the cohort. Misconceptions about risk factors, such as breastfeeding, oral contraceptive use, and past wrongdoings, were observed. Only half of the participants believed early-stage breast cancer could be effectively treated. Limited awareness of screening methods, including self-breast examination and mammography, was noted. Barriers to breast self-examination (BSE) included considering it unnecessary and lacking knowledge about its execution.
CONCLUSION
This study highlights insufficient breast cancer awareness in the high-altitude sub-Himalayan region. Targeted interventions, including health campaigns and electronic media, should be prioritized to improve knowledge and promote early detection practices.
PubMed: 38605761
DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1326_23 -
Journal of Medicine and Life Dec 2023Early detection measures for breast cancer, such as breast self-exams, clinical breast exams, and mammography, have considerable benefits in effectively reducing breast... (Review)
Review
Early detection measures for breast cancer, such as breast self-exams, clinical breast exams, and mammography, have considerable benefits in effectively reducing breast cancer-related mortality. As the incidence of breast cancer is steadily increasing, it is crucial to raise awareness on early detection. This scoping review assessed the current knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceptions of breast cancer screening among female medical students. We used the six phases of Arksey and O'Malley's framework from the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) template. Our analysis included 43 articles from Google Scholar and PubMed search engines, focusing on female medical students. Our results showed that most female medical students had a satisfactory level of knowledge about the most common signs, symptoms, and early detection methods of breast cancer. Generally, their attitude and perceptions were positive regarding breast cancer-related preventive measures. However, the level of practice was reduced. Further efforts are necessary to promote and improve the practice of breast self-examination, clinical breast exams, and mammography among female medical students. Potential interventions could include modifications to the medical curriculum and social media campaigns to enhance engagement and adoption of these practices.
Topics: Female; Humans; Breast Neoplasms; Early Detection of Cancer; Students, Medical; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Mammography
PubMed: 38585536
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2023-0412 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2024Early diagnosis of breast cancer is crucial for reducing mortality rates. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of demographics/social determinants of...
Early diagnosis of breast cancer is crucial for reducing mortality rates. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of demographics/social determinants of health on beliefs about the practice of self-breast examination, using mammogram and ultrasound in the context of breast cancer screening among Thai women in a hospital-based setting for implying program planning and future research. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two health centers in Chiang Mai Province from August 2021 to December 2021, involving 130 Thai women ages 40 to 70 years. Data were collected by a survey using a questionnaire to gather sociodemographic information, and health beliefs about breast cancer and screening behavior utilizing the modified Thai version of Champion's Health Belief Model Scale (MT-CHBMS). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression models were employed for examining association between sociodemographic factors and health beliefs about the practice of self-breast examination (BSE), using mammogram (MG) and ultrasound (UTS). Health insurance schemes were associated with Benefit-MG, Barrier-BSE, Barrier-MG and Barrier-UTS subscales. Additionally, monthly income was associated with Barrier-MG and Barrier-UTS subscales. The most common barriers reported were "embarrassment", "worry", and "takes too much time". To enhance breast cancer screening in Thailand, program planning and future research should focus on health insurance schemes, especially women with social security schemes, as they may be the most appropriate target group for intervention.
Topics: Female; Humans; Breast Neoplasms; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Thailand; Cross-Sectional Studies; Sociodemographic Factors; Early Detection of Cancer; Surveys and Questionnaires; Health Behavior
PubMed: 38556539
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58155-y -
Journal of Cancer Research and... Jan 2024Breast self-examination (BSE) is a simple and cost-effective screening procedure in downstaging breast tumors.
CONTEXT
Breast self-examination (BSE) is a simple and cost-effective screening procedure in downstaging breast tumors.
AIM
To assess the BSE practices and its associated knowledge and attitudes of rural women from Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SETTINGS AND DESIGN
A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed, and snowball sampling was used to recruit the sample of rural women from Tirunelveli.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Women ages 18-60 willing to take part were included. Data were collected online through a self-developed questionnaire.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Responses were analyzed using SPSS Version 20. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to present the general details and responses of the rural women through percentages. Using the appropriate tests, the mean differences of the BSE attitudes based on the personal variables were computed using one-way ANOVA.
RESULTS
A total of 433 rural women (Mean age: 29.20 ± 9.35 years) from Tirunelveli responded to the online Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) questionnaire. Regular health checkups were undergone by 27.48% of women and 9.24% underwent breast cancer (BC) screening in the past. While 68.36% had heard of BC, 61% knew it could be detected in the early stages. Insufficient knowledge regarding BSE techniques was evident among the women. Knowledge about BC was highest among those earning more than 20,001 INR, women aged 36-45, widowed/separated/divorced women, and diploma graduates. Overall, BSE and BC knowledge score was low, with correspondingly low attitudes and practices.
CONCLUSION
Findings showed the KAP among rural Tirunelveli women to be low.
Topics: Humans; Female; Young Adult; Adult; Breast Self-Examination; Cross-Sectional Studies; India; Pandemics; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Breast Neoplasms; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38554300
DOI: 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_713_22