| dc.description.abstract | Breast cancer is a type of cancer that develops
from breast tissue and is considered the most
common cancer among Sri Lankan women. The
objectives of this research were to assess the
awareness regarding early detection techniques of
breast cancer and the knowledge regarding signs
and symptoms between two different groups. A
descriptive cross sectional comparative study was
conducted between two groups and the study
was carried out in the clinics of Apeksha Hospital
Maharagama and at well woman clinics in MOH
area Piliyandala. Each cohort consisted of 317
participants within the age range of 30-65. They
were selected randomly and data collection was
done using a self-administered questionnaire.
Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23.
Among the women in Apeksha hospital, the
most known early detection technique (EDT)
was clinical breast examination (CBE) (91.80%).
The least known EDT was magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) which was found to be 62.80%.
In the MOH, the most known EDT was breast
self-examination (BSE). It was 80.10% and least
known EDT was Mammography (32.80%).
Most identified sign and symptom for both
study samples was lump or thickening in the
breast. It was 93.40% for Apeksha cohort and
79.50% for MOH cohort. When comparing the
study samples, the sample of Apeksha Hospital,
Maharagama had fairly good knowledge about
signs, symptoms and early detection techniques.
Therefore, the knowledge regarding signs and
symptoms should be improved among the women
in MOH areas. Throughout the entire study the
average practice and knowledge of women with
breast cancer was maintained at a precise level
than the women who attending MOH clinics.
The awareness of women participating MOH
clinics must be improved by introducing health
education programs at the clinics. | en_US |
