Breast cancer represents among
females, the most important
cancer sites in term of
incidence and
mortality. The objective of this study was to assess
women attending to the
Gynecology Clinic,
Breast Clinic and Mammogram Unit for
risk factors of
breast cancer for early
detection, and
counseling. A
guideline booklet about preventive
measures of
breast cancer was developed to evaluate its effect on
women's
behavior. The
research questions were [1] what are the most common
risk factors among the Egyptian
women? [2] what is the effect of the
health guideline booklet on
women's
behavior? The total sample was 470 Egyptian
women selected randomly from those
who, attended the clinics from 15 September 2003 to 15 February 2004. The
women with
risk factors of
breast cancer were 210 only. They were provided with a
health guideline booklet. Their mean age was 35.5 +/- 17.1. Most
risk factors appeared among the high
risk group of
women using hormonal
contraceptives for more than 10 years [48.7%]. The study recommended wide guidelines for improving
women's
behaviors towards the preventive
measures and early
detection of
breast cancer through the proper management. Continued efforts are needed to increase the availability of high quality
mammography and
treatment to all segments of the
population. This study concluded that the Egyptian
women had a positive readiness to change their
behavior through more
awareness about
risk factors and preventive
measures of
breast cancer