title: [Preliminary results and analysis of the feasibility of mammographic breast cancer screening in women younger than 50 years of the Ariana area in Tunisia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the preliminary results of the feasibility of breast cancer mammographic screening among women younger than 50 years from the l'Ariana state of Tunisia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National office of the Family and Population (ONFP) launched a protocol on feasibility of breast cancer mammographic screening targeting asymptomatic women aged 40-69 years, from the l'Ariana state in Tunisia. We practiced two oblique and face incidences at the mammography screening unit of the ONFP, whose equipment and control system of quality answered to the European Communitiy for breast cancer screening.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We did 5325 mammograms between April 2004 and March 2006. Our targeted population had a 48.9 years mean age (CI 95% = [48.7-49.1]), 60.3% of them younger than 50 years. There were more young women with high breast denisty (8.2%) compared to the group from 50 to 69 years (2.1%). The women arising from the 40-49 years cohort had a socio-economic and educational level higher. The complementary rate of examination/explorations was higher in this cohort (19.5%) vs 11.5% for the 50-69 years. The youngest women presented a more often positive test (7.0 vs 5.2%) than the oldest women (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The option to screen breast cancer by mammography in women younger than 40 years in Tunisia is partially justified by the relatively high frequency of this cancer in this age group. Our feasibility poorly useful in screening will be used to sensibilise females to the problematic of breast cancer to obtain a better compliance compared to the older age group of 50-59 years.
authors.affiliation: Office National de la Famille et de la Population, Division de la recherche biomédicale, Ariana, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zaanouni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben Abdallah
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouchlaka
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ben Aissa
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kribi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: M'barek
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben Hamida
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boussen
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gueddana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology