Knowledge towards breast cancer among Libyan women in Tripoli

Introduction : Breast cancer in women is the commonest type of cancer worldwide. However, in Libya, ordinary systematic screening for breast cancer is neglected. Aim : The present study was aimed to evaluate the women’s knowledge towards breast cancer and its risk factors. Methods : A cross-sectional survey, using self-administered questionnaire and face-to-face interviews was conducted at different places in Tripoli city along a period of nine months, from April-December 2013. Results : The mean age ( ± SD) of the participated women was 48 ± 5 years and out of 284 contributors 84.5% were married. One hundred and eighty women (63.4%) stated that long-term use of contraceptive pills (> 5 years) increases the incidence rate of breast cancer. Besides, more than half of participants (157 women) specified that breast cancer is treated by surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, although 50.7% of women reported that mammography and ultrasound are used for early detection, more than 60% of women believed that mammogram can cause cancer. In addition, our data demonstrate that increased knowledge was associated with women who know how to do self-examination and living in urban area. Conclusion : Our findings demonstrate that Libyan women have acceptable level of knowledge regarding breast cancer. However, improvement of the health systems and awareness regarding breast cancer is needed.