The Relationship between Breast Self-examination and the Disease Stage in Detection Time among Patients with Breast Cancer in Yazd

Abstract

Introduction: breast cancer, as the most common cancer among women, is controllable if it is diagnosed at the early stages. Breast self- examination is a simple method for early detection. One of the most important effective factors on the cancer-related mortality is the defection stage. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between breast self-examination and the disease stage with regard to the detection time among patients with breast cancer in Yazd.

Method: this cross-sectional study was carried out on 159 women with breast cancer, who referred to medical centers in Yazd. Data collection tool was a questionnaire with two parts. The first part was the demographic information and the second part dealt with the patients' breast self-examination before the detection of their disease. The disease stage in the detection time was determined based on the results of the pathology test. Data were analyzed using χ² and other description tests by SPSS.

Result: A statistically signification relationship was observed between disease stage at the defection time and breast self-examination. The disease was detected earlier in individuals who reported a higher frequency of breast self-examination in comparison with those who did not.

Conclusion: Breast self-examination affects the early detection of breast cancer and those who were educated had better practice. So, the results show the importance of educational programs in this regard.