Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 167 in total

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  1. Non-practice of breast self examination and marital status are associated with delayed presentation with breast cancer
    Ghazali SM, Othman Z, Cheong KC, Hock LK, Wan Mahiyuddin WR, Kamaluddin MA, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(2):1141-5.
    PMID: 23621202
    Delay in seeking treatment for breast cancer is a barrier to the early diagnosis and management of the disease, resulting in a poorer prognosis. We here estimated the prevalence of delayed presentation for breast cancer and identified possible influential sociodemographic factors in a cross-sectional study of 250 patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer at the Radiotherapy and Oncology Clinic in Kuala Lumpur Hospital. Data were collected by face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire and from medical records. We examined associations between delayed presentation (presenting to a physician more than 3 months after self-discovery of a symptom) and sociodemographic characteristics, practice of breast self examination (BSE), history of benign breast disease, family history of breast cancer and type of symptom, symptom disclosure and advice from others to seek treatment using multiple logistic regression. Time from self-discovery of symptom to presentation ranged from tghe same day to 5 years. Prevalence of delayed presentation was 33.1% (95%CI: 27.4, 39.3). A significantly higher proportion of delayers presented with late stages (stage III/IV) (58.3% vs. 26.9%, p<0.001). Divorced or widowed women (OR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.11, 4.47) had a higher risk of delayed presentation than married women and women who never performed breast self examination were more likely to delay presentation compared to those who regularly performed BSE (OR: 2.74, 95% CI: 1.33, 5.64). Our findings indicate that delayed presentation for breast cancer symptoms among Malaysian women is high and that marital status and breast self examination play major roles in treatment-seeking for breast cancer symptoms.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  2. Fulltext Beliefs and behavior of Malaysia undergraduate female students in a public university toward breast self-examination practice
    Akhtari-Zavare M, Juni MH, Said SM, Ismail IZ
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(1):57-61.
    PMID: 23534796
    BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second principal cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, including Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 262 female undergraduate students in University Putra Malaysia using a validated questionnaire which was developed for this study.

    RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 22∓2.3 years. Most of them were single (83.1%), Malay (42.3%) and 20.7% reported having a family history of breast cancer. Eighty-seven (36.7%) claimed they had practiced BSE. Motivation and self-efficacy of the respondents who performed BSE were significantly higher compared with women who did not (p<0.05).There was no association between BSE practice and demographic details (p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that women who perceived greater motivation (OR=1.089, 95%CI: 1.016-1.168) and had higher confidence of BSE (OR=1.076, 95%CI: 1.028-1.126) were more likely to perform the screening.

    CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that Malaysian young female's perception regarding breast cancer and the practice of BSE is low. Targeted education should be implemented to improve early detection of breast cancer.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  3. Dietary changes among breast cancer patients in Malaysia
    Shaharudin SH, Sulaiman S, Shahril MR, Emran NA, Akmal SN
    Cancer Nurs, 2013 Mar-Apr;36(2):131-8.
    PMID: 22293157 DOI: 10.1097/NCC.0b013e31824062d1
    BACKGROUND: Breast cancer patients often show an interest in making dietary changes after diagnosis of breast cancer to improve their health condition and prevent cancer recurrence.
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine changes in dietary intake 2 years after diagnosis among breast cancer patients.
    METHODS: One hundred sixteen subjects were asked to complete a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, diet recalls, and dietary changes questionnaire to assess dietary intake before and after diagnosis. The information on sociodemographic background, cancer treatment history, and anthropometric indices was also collected.
    RESULTS: Seventy-two subjects considered diet as a contributing factor to breast cancer, and 67 subjects changed their dietary habits after breast cancer diagnosis. The reasons for changes in diet were physician and dietitian advice and desire to cure cancer. The sources of information were derived from their physician, mass media, and family members. Total energy, protein, total fat, fatty acids, and vitamin E intake were significantly decreased after diagnosis. Meanwhile, the intake of β-carotene and vitamin C increased significantly after diagnosis. The changes included reduction in red meat, seafood, noodles, and poultry intake. An increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, low-fat milk, and soy products was observed. The subjects tended to lower high-fat foods intake and started to eat more fruits and vegetables.
    CONCLUSION: Breast cancer patients had changed to a healthier diet after breast cancer diagnosis, although the changes made were small.
    IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This will be helpful to dietitians in providing a better understanding of good eating habits that will maintain patients' health after breast cancer diagnosis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
  4. Breast screening and health issues among rural females in Malaysia: how much do they know and practice?
    Dahlui M, Gan DE, Taib NA, Lim JN
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S18-20.
    PMID: 23276776 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.12.010
    OBJECTIVE:
    This study investigated rural women's knowledge of breast cancer and screening methods by ethnicity and examined the predictors of breast screening methods.

    METHODS:
    A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2011 in five rural districts of Perak; 959 women were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. ANOVA and regression analysis were used in data analysis.

    RESULTS:
    Women below 50 years old, of Malay ethnicity and who had secondary education scored better than those older, of Chinese ethnicity and had primary education (p<0.001). The uptake of breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammogram was 59%, 51% and 6.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed knowledge of breast cancer and CBE as top predictors of BSE, being married and knowledge of breast cancer as top predictors for CBE; and CBE as the top predictor of mammography uptake. Support from husbands and family members for breast cancer screening was a predictor for CBE and BSE.

    CONCLUSION:
    Knowledge of breast cancer and its screening uptake varies by ethnicity, location and the type of support received. Efforts and approaches to improve the women's knowledge of breast cancer and its screening uptake therefore should be customized to address the different influencing factors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
  5. Differentiation between benign and malignant breast lesions using quantitative diffusion-weighted sequence on 3 T MRI
    Tan SL, Rahmat K, Rozalli FI, Mohd-Shah MN, Aziz YF, Yip CH, et al.
    Clin Radiol, 2014 Jan;69(1):63-71.
    PMID: 24156797 DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2013.08.007
    To investigate the capability and diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions using 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  6. Re: Improved diagnostic accuracy in differentiating malignant and benign lesions using single-voxel proton MRS of the breast at 3 T MRI. A reply
    Suppiah S, Rahmat K, Rozalli FI, Azlan CA
    Clin Radiol, 2014 Feb;69(2):e110-1.
    PMID: 24183264 DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2013.09.012
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  7. Fulltext Computer-aided segmentation system for breast MRI tumour using modified automatic seeded region growing (BMRI-MASRG)
    Al-Faris AQ, Ngah UK, Isa NA, Shuaib IL
    J Digit Imaging, 2014 Feb;27(1):133-44.
    PMID: 24100762 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-013-9640-5
    In this paper, an automatic computer-aided detection system for breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tumour segmentation will be presented. The study is focused on tumour segmentation using the modified automatic seeded region growing algorithm with a variation of the automated initial seed and threshold selection methodologies. Prior to that, some pre-processing methodologies are involved. Breast skin is detected and deleted using the integration of two algorithms, namely the level set active contour and morphological thinning. The system is applied and tested on 40 test images from the RIDER breast MRI dataset, the results are evaluated and presented in comparison to the ground truths of the dataset. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test shows that there is a statistically significance in the performance compared to the previous segmentation approaches that have been tested on the same dataset where ANOVA p values for the evaluation measures' results are less than 0.05, such as: relative overlap (p = 0.0002), misclassification rate (p = 0.045), true negative fraction (p = 0.0001) and sum of true volume fraction (p = 0.0001).
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  8. Recurrent mutation testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Asian breast cancer patients identify carriers in those with presumed low risk by family history
    Kang PC, Phuah SY, Sivanandan K, Kang IN, Thirthagiri E, Liu JJ, et al.
    Breast Cancer Res Treat, 2014 Apr;144(3):635-42.
    PMID: 24578176 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-014-2894-x
    Although the breast cancer predisposition genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 were discovered more than 20 years ago, there remains a gap in the availability of genetic counselling and genetic testing in Asian countries because of cost, access and inaccurate reporting of family history of cancer. In order to improve access to testing, we developed a rapid test for recurrent mutations in our Asian populations. In this study, we designed a genotyping assay with 55 BRCA1 and 44 BRCA2 mutations previously identified in Asian studies, and validated this assay in 267 individuals who had previously been tested by full sequencing. We tested the prevalence of these mutations in additional breast cancer cases. Using this genotyping approach, we analysed recurrent mutations in 533 Malaysian breast cancer cases with <10 % a priori risk, and found 1 BRCA1 (0.2 %) and 5 BRCA2 (0.9 %) carriers. Testing in a hospital-based unselected cohort of 532 Singaporean breast cancer cases revealed 6 BRCA1 (1.1 %) and 3 BRCA2 (0.6 %) carriers. Overall, 2 recurrent BRCA1 and 1 BRCA2 mutations in Malays, 3 BRCA1 and 2 BRCA2 mutations in Chinese and 1 BRCA1 mutation in Indians account for 60, 24 and 20 % of carrier families, respectively. By contrast, haplotype analyses suggest that a recurrent BRCA2 mutation (c.262_263delCT) found in 5 unrelated Malay families has at least 3 distinct haplotypes. Taken together, our data suggests that panel testing may help to identify carriers, particularly Asian BRCA2 carriers, who do not present with a priori strong family history characteristics.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
  9. Fulltext Spectrum of very early breast cancer in a setting without organised screening
    Bhoo-Pathy N, Subramaniam S, Taib NA, Hartman M, Alias Z, Tan GH, et al.
    Br J Cancer, 2014 Apr 29;110(9):2187-94.
    PMID: 24736587 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2014.183
    BACKGROUND: Within a setting without organised breast cancer screening, the characteristics and survival of very early breast cancer were determined.

    METHODS: All 4930 women diagnosed with breast cancer in University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia from 1993 to 2011 were included. Factors associated with very early presentation (stage I) at diagnosis were identified. Tumour characteristics, management patterns, and survival of very early breast cancer were described, and where appropriate, compared with other settings.

    RESULTS: Proportion of women presenting with stage I breast cancer significantly increased from 15.2% to 25.2% over two decades. Factors associated with very early presentation were Chinese ethnicity, positive family history of breast cancer, and recent period of diagnosis. Within stage I breast cancers, median tumour size at presentation was 1.5 cm. A majority of stage I breast cancer patients received mastectomy, which was associated with older age, Chinese ethnicity, postmenopausal status, and larger tumours. Chemotherapy was administered in 36% of patients. Five-year age-adjusted relative survival for women with stage I breast cancer was 99.1% (95% CI: 97.6-99.6%).

    CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of women presenting with very early breast cancer in this setting without organised screening is increasing. These women seem to survive just as well as their counterparts from affluent settings.

    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  10. Human mammaglobin in breast cancer: a brief review of its clinical utility
    Al Joudi FS
    Indian J Med Res, 2014 May;139(5):675-85.
    PMID: 25027076
    Human mammaglobin is a member of the uteroglobin proteins family that has recently been tested as a specific marker for breast cancer. While low levels may be seen in normal breast tissue, expression is increased dramatically in breast cancer and is correlated with higher grade. Detection in blood and body fluids is also correlated with cancer metastasis, and its levels with prognosis. This promises to be a useful screen for early detection of breast cancer, especially in high risk individuals. Mammoglobin has also been used for immunotherapeutic targeting of breast cancer cells. However, there are some controversies regarding its diagnostic efficacy and prognostic value, which warrant further study.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
  11. Breast cancer detection from MR images through an auto-probing discrete Fourier transform system
    Sim KS, Chia FK, Nia ME, Tso CP, Chong AK, Abbas SF, et al.
    Comput Biol Med, 2014 Jun;49:46-59.
    PMID: 24736203 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2014.03.003
    A computer-aided detection auto-probing (CADAP) system is presented for detecting breast lesions using dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, through a spatial-based discrete Fourier transform. The stand-alone CADAP system reduces noise, refines region of interest (ROI) automatically, and detects the breast lesion with minimal false positive detection. The lesions are then classified and colourised according to their characteristics, whether benign, suspicious or malignant. To enhance the visualisation, the entire analysed ROI is constructed into a 3-D image, so that the user can diagnose based on multiple views on the ROI. The proposed method has been applied to 101 sets of digital images, and the results compared with the biopsy results done by radiologists. The proposed scheme is able to identify breast cancer regions accurately and efficiently.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  12. Fulltext 2q36.3 is associated with prognosis for oestrogen receptor-negative breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy
    Li J, Lindström LS, Foo JN, Rafiq S, Schmidt MK, Pharoah PD, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2014 Jun 17;5:4051.
    PMID: 24937182 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5051
    Large population-based registry studies have shown that breast cancer prognosis is inherited. Here we analyse single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes implicated in human immunology and inflammation as candidates for prognostic markers of breast cancer survival involving 1,804 oestrogen receptor (ER)-negative patients treated with chemotherapy (279 events) from 14 European studies in a prior large-scale genotyping experiment, which is part of the Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study (COGS) initiative. We carry out replication using Asian COGS samples (n=522, 53 events) and the Prospective Study of Outcomes in Sporadic versus Hereditary breast cancer (POSH) study (n=315, 108 events). Rs4458204_A near CCL20 (2q36.3) is found to be associated with breast cancer-specific death at a genome-wide significant level (n=2,641, 440 events, combined allelic hazard ratio (HR)=1.81 (1.49-2.19); P for trend=1.90 × 10(-9)). Such survival-associated variants can represent ideal targets for tailored therapeutics, and may also enhance our current prognostic prediction capabilities.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  13. Estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer
    Yip CH, Rhodes A
    Future Oncol, 2014 Nov;10(14):2293-301.
    PMID: 25471040 DOI: 10.2217/fon.14.110
    Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. The majority of breast cancers show overexpression of estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs). The development of drugs to target these hormone receptors, such as tamoxifen, has brought about significant improvement in survival for women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancers. Since information about ER and PR is vital for patient management, quality assurance is important to ensure accurate testing. In recent guidelines, the recommended definition of ER and PR positivity is 1% or more of cells that stain positive. Semiquantitative assessment of ER and PR is important for prognosis and, hence, management. Even with the development of genomic tests, hormone receptor status remains the most significant predictive and prognostic biomarker.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
  14. Breast health in developing countries
    Yip CH, Taib NA
    Climacteric, 2014 Dec;17 Suppl 2:54-9.
    PMID: 25131779 DOI: 10.3109/13697137.2014.947255
    Breast cancer is one of the leading cancers world-wide. While the incidence in developing countries is lower than in developed countries, the mortality is much higher. Of the estimated 1 600 000 new cases of breast cancer globally in 2012, 794 000 were in the more developed world compared to 883 000 in the less developed world; however, there were 198 000 deaths in the more developed world compared to 324 000 in the less developed world (data from Globocan 2012, IARC). Survival from breast cancer depends on two main factors--early detection and optimal treatment. In developing countries, women present with late stages of disease. The barriers to early detection are physical, such as geographical isolation, financial as well as psychosocial, including lack of education, belief in traditional medicine and lack of autonomous decision-making in the male-dominated societies that prevail in the developing world. There are virtually no population-based breast cancer screening programs in developing countries. However, before any screening program can be implemented, there must be facilities to treat the cancers that are detected. Inadequate access to optimal treatment of breast cancer remains a problem. Lack of specialist manpower, facilities and anticancer drugs contribute to the suboptimal care that a woman with breast cancer in a low-income country receives. International groups such as the Breast Health Global Initiative were set up to develop economically feasible, clinical practice guidelines for breast cancer management to improve breast health outcomes in countries with limited resources.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  15. Fulltext Relationship between body image and breast self-examination intentions and behavior among female university students in Malaysia
    Samah AA, Ahmadian M
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(21):9499-503.
    PMID: 25422246
    This study aimed to examine the relationship between body image satisfaction and breast self-screening behavior and intentions. The sample for this cross-sectional study consisted of 842 female university students who were recruited from a number of public and private universities. Data were obtained between the months of November and December, 2013, using multistage random cluster sampling. Main research variables were breast cancer screening behavior and intentions, demographic factors, and the total scores on each of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ-Appearance Scales) subscales. Results of multivariate analysis showed that having higher satisfaction and more positive evaluation of appearance were related to having performed breast self-examination more frequently in the last year and intending to perform breast self-examination more frequently in the next year. Longitudinal research can potentially provide detailed information about overall body image satisfaction and breast cancer screening behavior among various communities.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  16. Fulltext Awareness and prevalence of mammography screening and its predictors--a cross sectional study in a primary care clinic in Malaysia
    Yusof A, Chia YC, Hasni YM
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(19):8095-9.
    PMID: 25338990
    BACKGROUND: Worldwide, over half a million women died of breast cancer in 2011 alone. Mammography screening is associated with a reduction of 20 to 35% in breast cancer mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the awareness and practice of mammography screening and predictors of its uptake in Malaysian women attending a primary care clinic.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among women aged 40 to 74 years attending a primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia. An assisted structured questionnaire included questions on socio-demography, source of information and level of knowledge. An adapted version of the revised Champion Health Belief Model Scale plus other associated factors for mammography screening up-take were also included as part of the questionnaire. Predictors for mammography screening uptake were only determined in those who were aware about mammography screening. Significant predictors were determined by logistic regression.

    RESULTS: 447 women were recruited for this study; 99.1% of them (n: 411) were aware about breast cancer. Only 50.1% (n: 206) had knowledge about mammography screening. Prevalence of clinical breast-examination (CBE) was 23.3% (n: 104) and mammography screening up-take was 13.2% (n: 59). The predictors for the latter were those who have had clinical breast-examination (aOR=17.58, 95%CI: 7.68-39.82) and those aged between 50 to 59 years (aOR=3.94, 95%CI: 1.61-9.66) as well as those aged 60 years and above (aOR=6.91, 95%CI: 2.28-20.94). Good knowledge and positive beliefs about mammography screening were not associated with mammography screening uptake.

    CONCLUSIONS: Half of our Malaysian women were aware about mammography screening. However, the uptake of mammography was low. Previous CBE and older age were significant predictors of mammography screening uptake. Increasing CBE services may increase compliance with guidelines.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  17. Validation of electrical impedance tomography qualitative and quantitative values and comparison of the numeric pain distress score against mammography
    Juliana N, Shahar S, Chelliah KK, Ghazali AR, Osman F, Sahar MA
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(14):5759-65.
    PMID: 25081698
    Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a potential supplement for mammogram screening. This study aimed to evaluate and feasibility of EIT as opposed to mammography and to determine pain perception with both imaging methods. Women undergoing screening mammography at the Radiology Department of National University of Malaysia Medical Centre were randomly selected for EIT imaging. All women were requested to give a pain score after each imaging session. Two independent raters were chosen to define the image findings of EIT. A total of 164 women in the age range from 40 to 65-year-old participated and were divided into two groups; normal and abnormal. EIT sensitivity and specificity for rater 1 were 69.4% and 63.3, whereas for rater 2 they were 55.3% and 57.0% respectively. The reliability for each rater ranged between good to very good (p<0.05). Quantitative values of EIT showed there were significant differences in all values between groups (ANCOVA, p<0.05). Interestingly, EIT scored a median pain score of 1.51±0.75 whereas mammography scored 4.15±0.87 (Mann Whitney U test, p<0.05). From these quantitative values, EIT has the potential as a health discriminating index. Its ability to replace image findings from mammography needs further investigation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
  18. Knowledge of breast cancer and breast self-examination practice among Iranian women in Hamedan, Iran
    Akhtari-Zavare M, Ghanbari-Baghestan A, Latiff LA, Matinnia N, Hoseini M
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(16):6531-4.
    PMID: 25169482
    BACKGROUND: In Iran, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women and a major public health problem.

    METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out to determine knowledge on breast cancer and breast self- examination (BSE) practices of 384 females living in the city of Hamadan, Iran. A purposive sampling method was adopted and data were collected via face-to-face interviews based on a validated questionnaire developed for this study.

    RESULTS: Among respondents 268 (69.8%) were married and 144 (37.5%) of the respondents reported having a family history of breast cancer. One hundred respondents (26.0%) claimed they practiced BSE. Level of breast cancer knowledge was significantly associated with BSE practice (p=0.000). There was no association with demographic details (p<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: The findings showed that Iranian women's knowledge regarding breast cancer and the practice of BSE is inadequate. Targeted education should be implemented to improve early detection of breast cancer.

    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  19. Fulltext Clinical breast examination as the recommended breast cancer screening modality in a rural community in Malaysia; what are the factors that could enhance its uptake?
    Farid ND, Aziz NA, Al-Sadat N, Jamaludin M, Dahlui M
    PLoS One, 2014;9(9):e106469.
    PMID: 25188003 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106469
    Breast cancer is the most common cause of deaths and the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of breast cancer screening, specifically on clinical breast examination, and the predictors of its uptake among women in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out in five selected districts whereby women aged between 20 to 64 years old, from a total of 1000 households were interviewed. A total of 1192 women responded to the survey of which 53.3% reported had ever done clinical breast examination. Significant associations with clinical breast examination were noted for income and distance from the hospital. These factors should be considered in developing interventions aimed at promoting clinical breast examination. In particular, healthcare providers should be proactive in raising awareness about clinical breast examination among women in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*
  20. Perception of breast health amongst Malaysian female adolescents
    Che CC, Coomarasamy JD, Suppayah B
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(17):7175-80.
    PMID: 25227810
    BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Malaysia, about one in 19 women being at risk. This study aimed to investigate knowledge and practice of breast self-examination (BSE), as well as knowledge of risk factors for breast cancer amongst female adolescents in Malaysia. Subsequently, relationships between demographic characteristics and knowledge level of BSE, risk factors for breast cancer and BSE practice were assessed.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive, cross sectional survey was conducted using a sample of 500 Malaysian adolescents from the age of 15 to 19 years. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather socio- demographic characteristics, knowledge of BSE, knowledge of risk factors for breast cancer and BSE practices.

    RESULTS: The findings of this study indicated that female adolescents in Malaysia demonstrated an inadequate knowledge level of BSE and risk factors for breast cancer. Only 27.8% of female adolescents performed BSE regularly. BSE practice, knowledge of BSE and knowledge of risk factors for breast cancer showed significant positive relationships.

    CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the importance of planning and implementing breast health education programs for female students in secondary schools in Malaysia. It will also provide the health care providers an avenue to stress on the importance of imparting breast health education to adolescents.

    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
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