WOMEN’S PERCEPTION ABOUT BREAST CANCER AND ITS EARLY DETECTION

Elizabeth Estevo, Alysson Plínio Estevo, Yngrid de Oliveira Rodrigues

institution: Prefeitura de Goiânia


“Goals: To evaluate the knowledge of women about breast cancer as a cause of morbidity and mortality and its early detection through mammography. Methodology: 117 women workers over the age of 40 years were interviewed in the First Meeting of City Hall Workers held on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2016. A questionnaire was given to participants with questions related to breast cancer as a cause of women’s morbidity and mortality ant its cure, if detected early, and the questionnaire presented issues about the frequency of mammography as according to the Attention Protocol to women’s Health for women 40 years in Goiania. The women received guidance on breast self-examination to detect breast lumps. Results: Among the 117 women participants, 86.3% are aware that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women and 88.9% recognize that the disease, in most cases, has the possibility of cure, if detected early. As for the mammography exam for early detection of breast cancer, 83.0% of the participants already performed it at some point in life. However, 24.8% had their last mammography exam in a period that exceeded two years old. Conclusion: The workers from Goiania City Hall perceive breast cancer as the most frequent cancer among women and recognize that its early detection through mammography, is necessary, however, not all of the women do this exam every two years. According to this data, the development of health education actions to disseminate information about the disease, to guide the making of breast self-examination and mammography periodically are priorities for the reduction of morbidity and premature mortality among workers in Goiania City Hall. Keywords: Breast cancer, early detection, health education.”