AN OVERVIEW ON SCREENING FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS IN ROMANIAN GENERAL POPULATION

Trends in breast cancer incidence has been decreasing worldwide since several years, meanwhile screening programs were properly implemented in countries with financial support for healthcare infrastructure and population awareness to choose prevention. The study aim was to evaluate the level of knowledge regarding risk factors and screening for breast cancer in general population from Romania. Material and methods: The study was conducted on a group of 470 individuals aged between 21 and 55, during 1st October and 31st November 2016. The study was based on fulfilling an online questionnaire of 20 items, sent by e-mail. Results: Participants chose “breastfeeding” as a protective factor (84.47%), “family history” as a risk factor (78.09%), lobular carcinoma in situ as precancerous lesion (20.00%), mammography as a screening method (94.04%), performed “once a year in 45-54 aged women” (90.21%). A breast screening program would be useful in Romania because of the “high incidence” (98.30%) for “early detection of the disease” (97.87%), and nothing could deter people from screening participation (84.34%), but “fear of detecting a cancer” (12.64%). Conclusions: A larger study on a representative population group would provide better information and could be a capable guidance for national strategies on breast cancer prevention and screening.