Abstract:

Breast cancer is a type of cancer diagnosed by women in Turkey and worldwide. The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of students studying at the Faculty of Medicine about breast cancer and their own breast examination. Tools and Methods: In this study of Cutting-edge type, Pamukkale University School of Medicine students were included. Students who participated in the study were subjected to the 17 question survey form, which contains socio-demographic characteristics and consists of knowledge and attitude regarding breast cancer and KKMM. The data was analyzed with the SPSS 22.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) package. The results: 273 students participated in our study. The average age was 21±1.8 and 59.7 percent were girls students. 10.6 per cent of students had a breast cancer history in their families. 69.6% of students (n:190) were able to do their own breast examination and 42.9% were able to do their own breast examination. When questioned about the major risk factors that cause breast cancer, the frequent answers were: having a history of breast cancer in the family (87.9), exposure to radiation (86.8) and age increase (85.7). When the symptoms of breast cancer were questioned, the answers given were the presence of lymphadenopathy (%79.1) and the mass in the breast (%75.8). Result: To increase the scanning awareness for early breast cancer diagnosis in women and to regularly conduct these scans, training programs for health workers and their candidates need to be structured and implemented. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer among women in Turkey and the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of the students of the Faculty of Medicine about breast cancer and breast self-examination. Materials and Method: The study is a cross sectional study, consisting of students who accepted to participate among medical faculty students at Pamukkale University. A 17-question questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge and attitudes about breast cancer and breast self-examination was administered to the students who participated in the study. Data were analyzed with SPSS 22.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Results: 273 students participated in the study. The average age was 21 ± 1.8 years and 59.7% of them were female students. 10.6% of students had a family history of breast cancer. 69.6% of the students knew how to do breast self-examination and 42.9% were found to do breast self-examination. When breast cancer risk factors were questioned, most frequently answered were; family history of breast cancer (87.9%), radiation exposure (86.8%) and increase in age (85.7%). When breast cancer symptoms were questioned, most frequently answered were; axillary lymphadenopathy (79.1%) and breast mass (75.8%). Conclusion: screening methods for health workers and candidates should be structured and implemented in order to increase awareness of early detection of breast cancer in women and to conduct these screening regularly.

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