Assessment of knowledge and practice of mammography and breast self-examination among the general female population in Asir region of KSA

T. Alqahtani, A.M. Alqahtani, S.M. Alshahrani, K. Orayj, M. Almanasef, A.H. Alamri, V. Easwaran, N.A. Khan

Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. amsfr@kku.edu.sa

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• Oncology
• Public Health

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and an increasing burden in terms of incidence, morbidity and mortality. It accounts for about 28.7% of all new cancers in women. In 2015, the Saudi cancer registry shows that breast cancer was graded first among women and it accounts for 16.7% of all cancers reported among Saudi nationals. This study was designed to assess breast cancer screening knowledge and practices among women in the Asir region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study recruiting 1,021 female participants was performed. The variables included breast cancer knowledge, socio-demographic features, breast self-examination knowledge and practice. Descriptive statistics was used to compare and analyze the collected data while chi-square test was used to check the statistical significance among the selected variables. Saudi married women from Asir region were the participants of this cross-sectional study.

RESULTS: Our findings suggested that participants had a satisfactory level of knowledge about breast self-examination and mammograms at a rate of > 90% and 44.76% respectively. Over 90% of participants had good breast self-exam knowledge, however, only 6.37% was always performed breast self-examination. Similarly, nearly 40% of participants performed mammograms, while 40.5% were unaware. Leaflets and doctors were the primary sources of information for participants regarding the information of breast cancer screening.

CONCLUSIONS: Breast self-examination is a crucial approach to the timely detection of breast cancer and is subsequently critical for effective treatment. From the findings of this study we concluded that most women in the Asir region have a good awareness of breast cancer screening methods. However, either screening of self-examination or mammogram for breast cancer was not carried out thoroughly and regularly. This means that we must continue to emphasize the importance of primary health care in the earliest stages of breast cancer.

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