Usha Karunakaran, Namitha Thekkandathil, Minimol Joseph, Salini Kannankai, Jayasree Anandabhavan Kumaran
BACKGROUND
Early diagnosis of breast cancer is of extreme significance in improving the survival rates and quality of life. Unfortunately, studies have revealed that a major proportion of women from low-income countries are still not breast aware.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this study, Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) was done. In addition, we assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of Breast Self-Examination (BSE). A cross-sectional study with quantitative method of data collection was conducted in a village in North Kerala. The study population was all women aged 20 years and above and who resided in the village for 6 months and more and they were motivated to attend the camps by community health workers from the same village.
RESULTS
Out of the 319 women who attended the CBE camps, 301 (94%) had heard of breast cancer and 113 (36%) had heard of it from community workers during their survey. Around 63% of the women knew at least one symptom of breast cancer while 73% did not know any risk factor. Only 234 (73%) had heard of BSE. Only 137 (43%) knew the right technique of BSE. Out of the 184 women who did BSE, 124 (67.4%) did it to examine breasts regularly, 5 (2.7%) did it because they had a family history of breast cancer, 52 (28.3%) following classes by community workers, 2 (1.1%) because their friends had breast cancer and 1 (0.5%) following a resected lump. Out of the 135 women who did not practice BSE, 36 (26.7%) did not know the method, 85 (63%) did not think it was important, 10 (7.4%) had no symptoms and 4 (2.9%) were scared of finding a lump. The women with either breast or axillary lumps (3.4%) were referred for mammography.
CONCLUSION
Utilisation of the services of primary healthcare facilities for opportunistic screening and health awareness classes by trained nonmedical community personnel should become main activities in our future policies. They should be trained for providing BSE training to women at their doorstep. This simple approach could reduce the burden of the disease to a significant extent.
