Breast Cancer Risk and Early Diagnosis Applications in Turkish Women Aged 50 and Over

Background: The aim of the study was to determine breast cancer risk and early diagnosis applications inwomen aged ≥50. Materials and
Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive field study focused on a populationof 4,815 in Mansuroğlu with a 55.1% participation rate in screening. In the study, body mass index (BMI) wasalso evaluated in the calculation of breast cancer risk by the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRA) (alsocalled the “Gail Risk Assessment Tool”) . The interviewers had a three-hour training provided by the researchers,during which interactive training methods were used and applications were supported with role-plays.
Results:The mean age of the women participating in the study was 60.1±8.80. Of these women, 57.3% were in the50-59 age group, 71.7% were married, 57.3% were primary school graduates and 61.7% were housewives.Breast-cancer development rate was 7.4% in the women participating in the study. When they were evaluatedaccording to their relationship with those with breast cancer, it was determined that 73.0% of them had firstdegreerelatives with breast cancer. According to the assessment based on the Gail method, the women’s breastcancer development risk within the next 5 years was 17.6%, whereas their calculated lifetime risk was foundto be as low as 0.2%. Statistically significant differences (P=0.000) were determined between performing BSE -CBE and socio-demographic factors.
Conclusions: It was determined that 17.6% of the participants had breastcancer risk. There was no statistically significant difference between the women with and without breast cancerrisk in terms of early diagnosis practices, which can be regarded as a remarkable finding. It was planned toprovide training about the early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer for people with high-risk scores, andto conduct population-based breast cancer screening programs.