Breast cancer screening outcomes and risk assessment among women of Abha city, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women and the leadingcause of death related to cancers. This study focuses on the screening of breast cancer for earlydetection of breast cancer and identification of risk factors for the development of breast cancer. This cross-sectional study was conducted among the female participants who were registered for the breast cancer screening program conducted by King Khalid University, Abha under the supervision of Family and Community Medicine, Department of College of Medicine. Convenience sampling was done and a total of 331 patients were selected for the study. The collected data were coded and entered into an Excel software (Microsoft Office Excel 2010) database. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 16 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Out of 331 individuals only 3 (0.9%) were diagnosed with breast cancer. Three cases ofinvasive ductal carcinoma were identified among individuals with breast cancer. While 4 (1.2%) individuals had benign findings, such as fibroadenoma, ductal ectasia, sclerosing adenosis, andtissue fibrosis. Past surgical history, past radiotherapy/chemotherapy, and maternal problemsduring pregnancy were significantly associated with varying levels of breast cancer risk. Breastcomplaints show a significant association with breast cancer indicating the need for furtherinvestigation. Findings from physical examinations, mammography reports, breast ultrasound, biopsy referrals, biopsy results, and management plans all show significant relationships withbreast cancer risk. Our study findings indicate the need for health education for the prevention of breastcancer risk factors and the implementation of regular screening programs for the early detectionof the disease in the community.