European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Breast cancer is the one of the most commonly occurring cancer in women and is among the top five causes of mortality due to cancer. Early detection of breast cancer plays leading role in reducing mortality rates and improving the patient’s prognosis. The factors related to women´s awareness, knowledge and perceptions about breast cancer may contribute significantly to medical help-seeking behaviours. Thus, practice of breast self-examination among female undergraduate students will be essential in acknowledging targeted interventions through the provision of guided educational training programs.
Material & Methods: A cross sectional study on female students of an engineering college in Karimnagar were studied between January - April 2020 using a pretested structured questionnaire regarding awareness of breast cancer, its risk factors, clinical features and preventive measures. Data collected was analysed using SPSS v16.0.
Results: Knowledge regarding - risk factors for breast cancer was 36.8%, regarding clinical features was 51.5%, BSE as a preventive measure was 83.8%. Major source of gained knowledge was the Internet (75%).
Conclusion:  Most students know about breast cancer but their overall knowledge about its risk factors and clinical presentation is inadequate. Only one third of them were aware of BSE as a means to detect Breast cancer.