The Level of knowledge women who applied to the hospitals with suspicious breast lump, about breast cancer and self examination of breast and the effects of self examination of breast on noticing the lump

SUMMARY This study performed as a supplementary study on women who were applied to Afyon Kocatepe University Ahmet Necdet Sezer Hospital, Afyon State Hospital and Afyon Social Security Hospital, got suspicious about lump on their breasts; aimes to determine knowledge of breast cancer and self examination of occurrence of lump on breasts, to understand relations between demographic characteristics and educational level of the women, to determine how the women noticed their lump on breasts consciously or unconsciously. Totally 62 women included in the study. The data has been collected by applying the inquiry form. The inquiry contains questions determining demographic characteristics of the women with their knowledge and attitudes and behaviors about breast cancer and self examination of breast. The inquiry applied in the dates between February and July 2003. The datas used in this study transferred to SPSS program and the results are evaluated. Chi-sequare test was performed for evaluation. The average age of the women suspicious about lump on their breasts applied to the hospital was 39,5 (±Sd=l 1,2). Available data suggest that these women did not had enough knowledge of breast cancer and self examination of the breast and did not examine their breasts every month on regularly bases and noticed their lump incidentally. However, most of the women hear the self exmination of breast method from television and radio, health personals had very few effect on the subject. Key Words : Women, breast cancer, self examination of breast.