Evaluation of the level of knowledge of Egyptian women of breast cancer and its risk factors. A cross sectional study.

Breast cancer is considered the leading cause of cancer death among females in economically developing countries. Prevalence of breast carcinoma is high in Egypt and the cases of breast cancer constitute 29% of cancer cases treated at the national cancer institute. This study aimed at exploring the level of knowledge of Egyptian females of breast cancer and its risk factors. An interview questionnaire with 22 questions about breast cancer was developed. This questionnaire was previously published as a part of the German multicentre DACH study). A total of 600 female subjects that attended primary health care centres were enrolled in our study. The majority were located in Cairo with the mean age of 40.5 +/- 11.0. Most of our studied sample (94%) has heard about breast cancer as a disease. TV and radio were the main sources of knowledge about the disease (60%). The level of knowledge about breast cancer was limited in 80% of the subjects. Younger age subjects had a higher level of knowledge about breast cancer compared to older subjects with no significant difference statistically. The grade of knowledge about breast cancer was higher among highly educated subjects compared to less educated subjects with significant difference statistically. The highest known risk factors of breast cancer were exposure to X ray (79.5%), hormonal therapy (75.7%) and previous breast cancer disease (70.8%). This study clearly illustrates the need for a health education program directed to Egyptian females to improve the knowledge of breast cancer.