Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to breast cancer self-examination among medical students at the University of Khartoum, Sudan

Background. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common invasive cancer in women, and the second leading cause of death in women worldwide. In Sudan, BC was the most predominant type of cancer among females according to the records of the Radiation Isotope Center Khartoum and Gezira Institute for Cancer Treatment and Molecular Biology.Objective. To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of Sudanese medical students regarding breast self-examination (BSE). Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted during June - August 2019 among university medical students in Sudan. Data were collected using a self-administered, semi-structured and pre-tested questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised five parts: participants’ sociodemographic characteristics; knowledge of BSE; knowledge of symptoms of BC; attitudes toward BSE; and attitudes towards BSE practice. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed among female students, with 295 responses (98.3%). The findings revealed that 285 (96.6%) of the respondents had heard about BSE before, and 293 (99.3%) of them were aware of the monthly BSE test, and agreed that BSE is a good practice test for early BC detection. Two hundred and ninety-one (91.2%) were knowledgeable about BC symptoms. In addition, 191 (64.7%) of the respondents agreed that they could detect BC by themselves, while 277 (76.9%) of respondents said that BSE is not time- consuming. A total of 257 (87.1%) of the respondents agreed that BSE was important and useful in the early detection of abnormalities. For the practice score, three-quarters (n=221; 74.9%) of the respondents practise BSE because they are aware of its benefit. Conclusion. The intensive awareness campaign of BSE practice and BC should be done on a regular basis using mass media to increase the level of awareness of BC.