Breast cancer
is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death
among women of all ethnic and age groups in Malaysia.
Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the knowledge
of breast cancer risk factors, symptoms and methods of screening
among female university students and their perception towards
the disease treatment outcomes.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from February
to March 2008 at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Two hundred participants
from 10 randomly selected faculties were interviewed face to face
by a trained pharmacist using a validated questionnaire. In addition
to their demographic characteristics, participants were required
to answer 22 questions concerning knowledge of breast cancer and
five questions related to their perception of breast cancer management
and treatment outcomes. Data were analyzed using SPSS version
15.
Results: The mean age of the respondents was 26.7 (SD=1.9) years.
The results showed that the vast majority of the female university
students had inadequate knowledge of breast cancer. The mean total
knowledge score of the students was 60.7%. Indian students had
significantly less knowledge of breast cancer compared to their
Chinese and Malay counterparts (p<0.05). However, more than
two third of the students were aware of breast self examination
(BSE) and clinical breast examination (CBE) recommendations. Furthermore,
the students had positive perceptions towards the treatment outcomes
of breast cancer.
Conclusion: This study has highlighted the need of a breast cancer
awareness campaign, which should also stress the importance of
early detection and reporting of breast cancer.
