Abstract:
Introduction: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer among females. Women need to be aware about the clinical symptoms and course of the disease to increase the chances of early detection of breast cancer and thereby to reduce mortality due to it.
Objective: To assess the knowledge of breast cancer among females with breast diseases.
Method: All patients seeking treatment for a breast disease during a period of two years from two surgical units were included in the study. A pre-tested, structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the knowledge of breast cancer. The participants were inquired about the awareness, symptoms, risk factors, early detection, modes of spread and treatment of breast cancer.
Results: Out of 126 patients included in the study 111 (88%) had heard or read about breast cancer. The print and electronic media were the leading sources of information. Breast lump was the best known symptom. The most known risk factor was the positive family history. The majority (77.7%) knew that the early detection of breast cancer could increase the chances of cure. Although 69.8% of the participants knew that breast cancer can spread, the exact modes of spread of breast cancer were not well known. Only 8.7% did not know about the kind of therapy available for breast cancer. The knowledge of breast cancer declined with the decrease in the educational level (p<0.05).
Conclusions: A satisfactory knowledge was present among the females participated. The future breast cancer awareness programmes need to emphasize on addressing the women with lower educational standards
