Developing a Breast Cancer Screening Program in Nigeria: Evaluating Current Practices, Perceptions, and Possible...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Global Health

Background:

• Breast cancer is often diagnosed at advanced stages in low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, presenting a significant public health challenge.
• Limited resources necessitate the development of context-appropriate cancer screening programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate perceptions, practices, and barriers related to clinical breast examination (CBE) screening among women in a low-income Nigerian community.
• To inform the development of effective breast cancer screening strategies in resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,169 women aged 40 years and older in Ife, Nigeria.
• Multistage sampling and interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data on sociodemographics, breast cancer knowledge, screening practices, and willingness to participate in CBE.

Main Results:

• While 94% of women knew about breast cancer, only 19.7% had ever had a CBE, and just 6% had one in the past year.
• A majority (65.4%) expressed willingness to undergo regular CBEs, with most indifferent to the examiner's sex.
• Lack of perceived need was the primary barrier for women unwilling to participate in screening.

Conclusions:

• Awareness of breast cancer as a fatal disease is high, and willingness to be screened is encouraging.
• A carefully designed clinical breast examination program, combined with targeted health education to address misconceptions, holds promise for improving breast cancer screening in this population.