Examination of Breast Cancer Screening Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs among Syrian Refugee Women in a Western Canadian Province.

BACKGROUND: Women living in the Arab world present low breast cancer screening rates, delayed diagnosis, and higher mortality rates. PURPOSE: To further explore the Muslim Syrian refugee women's breast self-examination (BSE), utilization of clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive exploratory study design was used. The sample consisted of 75 refugee women. Data were collected using Champion's Health Belief Model Scale, the Cancer Stigma Scale, and the Arab Culture-Specific Barriers to Breast Cancer Questionnaire. Descriptive, Pearson correlation and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A minority of women had BSE (32%), CBE (12%) and mammograms (6.7%) anytime during their lifetime. Women's breast cancer screening (BCS) knowledge ranked at a medium level (M = 10.57, SD = 0.40). Low knowledge score, BSE information, policy opposition, responsibility, barriers to BSE, and seriousness were found to be statistically significant in women's BSE practice. BSE benefits and religious beliefs significantly predict CBE Age, education, knowledge, responsibility, susceptibility, social barriers, and religious beliefs were statistically significant in women's mammography use (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Participants' breast cancer screening practices were low. Health beliefs, Arab culture and stigma about cancer affected women's BCS practices. Faith-based interventions may improve knowledge and practices.

Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination Among Young Women in Tertiary Education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the top cancer among women both in the developed and the developing world. Many deaths can be avoided if breast cancer can be detected and treated early. The practice of breast self-examination (BSE) is a convenient, no-cost tool that can be used regularly for detecting breast cancer at an early stage. Therefore, this study sought to assess the knowledge and practice of breast self-examination among young females in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 358 females using a pre-tested and self-administered questionnaire. The data were cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 23, and the descriptive statistics, linear and logistic regression were used for analysis. The possible predictors were identified using the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and a P-value of 0.05. RESULTS: Almost half of 188 (52.5%) respondents had heard about breast cancer self-examination, while the media were the main source of information. The study revealed that only as little as 47 (13.1%) respondents did appropriate BSE. While confounding factors were controlled for, the linear multivariate regression analysis indicated that the healthcare providers as information sources about BSE (ß = 1.9; CI= 0.62, 2.9; p < 0.01) makes the greatest unique contribution to explaining the BSE knowledge level. Moreover, the study indicated that the more age (ß = 1.4; CI=1.1, 1.8; p < 0.01) and knowledge (ß = 1.34; CI=1.1, 1.64; p < 0.01) the females have, the more likely it is that they will report practicing BSE. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a few females implemented regular BSE. Further implementations are needed in addressing young females, making awareness and advocacy campaigns about BSE to increase early diagnosis of breast cancer that raises the chances for successful treatment in Ethiopia.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAST SELF-EXAMINATION AS A DIAGNOSTIC METHOD OF BREAST CANCER / A importância do autoexame como método diagnóstico do câncer de mama

Method: An observational, retrospective, descriptive and cross - sectional study was carried out with data collected from Clínica Basegio, Brazil. The objective of this study was to analyze the importance of breast self-examination (BSE) as a diagnostic method for breast cancer in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul. A total of 320 patient records were selected from 1987 to 2017, among which 14 were excluded due to insufficient information. Results: BSE accounted for 48% of breast cancer diagnoses, followed by mammography and ultrasound. Imaging methods proved to be more effective in diagnosing early stage disease, while BSE detected more advanced tumors. This data was based on the histological characteristics of the tumors, with a significant difference (p<0.05) between tumor size and lymph node involvement when compared to BSE and imaging methods. Thus, the survival of the patients diagnosed by mammography and ultrasound was significantly higher than the patients diagnosed by BSE. Conclusion: Evidence from this retrospective study suggests that BSE is the prevalent diagnostic method for breast cancer in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Despite detecting tumors in advanced stages, it is still a fundamental method within the Brazilian reality.

Método: Estudo observacional, retrospectivo, descritivo e transversal, com dados coletados na Clínica Basegio, Brasil. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a importância do autoexame das mamas (AEM) como método diagnóstico para o câncer de mama em Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul. Um total de 320 registros de pacientes foram selecionados de 1987 a 2017, dos quais 14 foram excluídos devido a informações insuficientes. Resultados: O AEM foi responsável por 48% dos diagnósticos de câncer de mama, seguido pela mamografia e ultrassonografia. Os métodos de imagem mostraram-se mais eficazes no diagnóstico de doença em estágio inicial, enquanto o AEM detectou tumores mais avançados. Esses dados foram baseados nas características histológicas dos tumores, com diferença significativa (p<0,05) entre o tamanho do tumor e o comprometimento linfonodal quando comparados aos métodos de AEM e de imagem. Assim, a sobrevida dos pacientes diagnosticados por mamografia e ultrassonografia foi significativamente maior que a de pacientes diagnosticados por AEM. Conclusão: Evidências deste estudo retrospectivo sugerem que o AEM é o método diagnóstico prevalente para o câncer de mama no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Apesar de detectar tumores em estágios avançados, ainda é um método fundamental dentro da realidade brasileira.