Publication:

Prevalence of risk factors for breast cancer in women aged 30 years and above in Mumbai

Background Even though there is an increasing trend of breast cancer, women still do not perceive themselves at risk. Poor awareness about the disease and its risk factors and the absence of population based screening contribute to delayed diagnosis. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of various risk factors for breast cancer in women aged 30 years and above.

Methods The cross-sectional study using convenience sampling of all women aged 30 years and above was conducted in Mumbai. Of the 2430 women enumerated in the study area, 1158 women participated in the study. Risk factors for breast cancer assessed included age at menarche; age at first child birth; breastfeeding; use of oral contraceptive pills, age of menopause, first degree relatives with history of breast cancer, history of current and past breast cancer; history of any previous breast related abnormalities.

Results 15.5% of the women had atleast one risk factor for breast cancer. The prevalence of individual risk factors was below 6%.

Conclusions Prevalence of the risk factors for breast cancer is not very high, but never the less, the increasing trend of breast cancer in the country makes it imperative to introduce population based screening for all women with or without risk factor.