Effects of breast self-examination (BSE) program for detection early stage of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common site-specific cancer in women and is the leading cause of death from cancer disease, patients were needed to diagnose at an early stage of disease for better prognosis.

To determine the effects of breast self-examination (BSE) training program of Provincial Public Health Office in Singburi.

After the BSE program in Singburi Province was started in July 2005, the female breast cancer patients at Singburi Hospital during the period of two and a half years after BSE training program were recruited into the study. All samples completed questionnaires and thorough physical examination. The questionnaires included sociodemographic data, history of village health volunteer consultation about breast self-examination and the practice themselves of breast self-examination. The data from medical records, including the staging of the disease were collected. The data of female breast cancer patients at the same hospital during the period of two and a halfyears before the implement of BSE program were used to compare the results.

There were 43 patients offemale breast cancer before and 39 patients after BSE training program recruited into the study. The demographics data in both groups were not difference. The majorities ofpatients were wageworker low family income, married and had only elementary education level. There was no previous history of BSE practice in both groups before the BSE training program started. Before BSE training program, the early stage offemale breast cancer disease was diagnosed in 81.4% but after BSE training program, it was increasing to 89.7%. Almost patients found their breast masses by themselves. There were 2 patients whom their breast mass were found by village health volunteers consultation and 10 patients detected their breast mass by themselves after received information about breast self-examination from primary health care providers.

The proportion of early stage female breast cancer disease in this study was increasingly after BSE training program. This program may help to promote the detection of early stage offemale breast cancer. The further evaluation of this program is needed.