Women\u27s Knowledge of Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in Kosovo

Background: The most prevalent cancer worldwide is breast cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2002, it was documented that breast cancer has the highest incidence of cancers worldwide with approximately 1.15 million new cases as and 411,000 deaths.[1] Since 2008, the incidence has increased significantly by more than 20%, and mortality by 14%.[2] Breast cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of death from general cancer and in the developed regions is the second leading cause of death for women after lung cancer.[3] In Kosovo during 2017 the prevalence and incidence of Malignant diseases per 100,000 population was 265.7 and 163.0 respectively. While by gender, 33.3% of women with malignant diseases have had breast cancer and 0.01% of men. [4] Whereas the reported cases of breast cancer were 1055 females and 6 males. Most cases were in the 40-59 age group with 268 cases, followed by the 60+ age group with 143 new cases. [4] Aim : The research is to assess the knowledge and attitudes of Kosovar women for early breast cancer diagnosis and breast self-examination. Methods: The research is quantitative descriptive based on the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure (BCAM) questionnaire adapted from J Wachira et al. (2017) with some modifications, the standardized questionnaire contains 36 questions related to the following areas: 1) Knowledge of breast cancer symptoms, and 2) Obstacles to seeking medical help. A total of 560 respondents were surveyed. The survey was conducted with a survey of 80 women from each region of Kosovo: Ferizaj, Gjakova, Gjilan, Mitrovica, Peja, Prishtina and Prizren. The survey began on November 15, 2017 and lasted until February 15, 2018. Data were collected, then reviewed and processed with SPSS (Package for the Social Science) 2015 program. Data are presented in tabular and graphical form while the statistical parameters have been calculated arithmetic mean, standard deviation, squared test. Results: Three-quarters (74.1%) of the respondents belonged to the age group of 18-29 years, while 58.2% were single, and 54.64% of them had a high level of education. Based on the general responses received from 13 specific questions on the symptoms and signs of breast cancer, the majority of women in Kosovo with 54.23% have no information about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. This worrying figure also provides an explanation for why we have an increased incidence of breast cancer cases in Kosovo. [4] The source of information on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer turns out to be the Internet with 68.2%, but our respondents are not sure of their validity with 55.2%. Only 33.2% of Kosovo women know that wrinkling of the skin breast is a sign of breast cancer, and only 35.0% are aware of its redness. Women in Kosovo with 64.1% would not feel embarrassed to see a doctor, but visiting a doctor would cost more than their financial standard with 40.5%. Respondents stated that their preferred more to visit private institutions for early detection of breast cancer with 60.4%, reflecting lack of trust at public health institutions. Only 34.8% receive additional information during their medical visits regarding early diagnosis of breast cancer. Conclusion :The level of knowledge of women about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer is low and the educational advice they receive, a barrier to seeking health care, is low trust in public health institutions and high financial costs. Recommendation : Organize comprehensive cancer control programs including women\u27s awareness programs on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, eliminate barriers to health care research, early detection, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation