Awareness regarding breast cancer and breast self examination among women in an urban area of district rohtak, haryana

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer of women in both developed and developing country. As per global health estimates,WHO-2013,about 508000 females died of breast cancer in 2011.Though breast cancer is considered a disease of developed countries, in recent years a rising incidence of cases is also being seen in developing countries. India is no exception to this. Breast cancer is on the rise particularly in urban areas. Objective: To find the awareness regarding breast cancer in women in an urban area of Rohtak, Haryana. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in urban area of district Rohtak, Haryana, India. The study was conducted in 300 households in an urban area. Married females in the age group of 18-60 in the selected houses were interviewed using a pre tested schedule to get an insight about their awareness of breast cancer. Only one female per household was selected. Results: Majority of the participants were aware of breast cancer but lacked proper knowledge about the about the risk factors of the disease. Most of the participants were unaware of correct technique of breast self examination. About 70 women admitted of having some disorder in breast (lump, cracks, discharges, pain and tenderness).Only 25 of these sought medical check up from a registered medical practitioner. Others sought help from other females of their locality or quacks. A considerable number of participants admitted they were not comfortable discussing this subject within their homes. Conclusion: In recent years there has been a rapid spurt of cases of Breast cancer in India. The mortality associated with the cases is considerably higher in India compared to the developed countries. This can be attributed to lack of proper knowledge and the taboo associated with the subject. Increasing the knowledge of women in self examination techniques and the screening procedures for early detection and management of breast cancers can reduce the morbidity and mortality of females to great extent