title: Socio-demographic parameters in screening for breast cancer: Lessons from a population-'based women's Health Project held in a province in Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to inform healthy women about breast cancer and screen them, as well as to look for any relationship between demographic and clinical findings and breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  thirty-five health teams were created prior to the study. The teams were primarily trained for breast examination and for screening methods to detect breast cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  a total of 77,934 subjects were evaluated. Clinical breast examination (CBE) was performed in 66% (n=51,706) of the participants. The characteristics of the subjects in the examined group were similar to those in the group refusing examination. The percentage of the subjects who declined examination was 2-fold higher in the ≥ 60 year age group compared to younger women. A breast mass was detected in 2,838 (6%) subjects who had undergone breast examination. Lower educational level and urban dwellers showed higher incidence of suspicious mass in CBE. Fifty-eight women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The cumulative incidence of breast cancer was 7.5/10.000 for all of the study population and 10.1/10.000 for women with CBE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  elderly subjects, those living in rural areas and women with low educational and lower socio-economic levels should be convinced to undergo screening for breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University Institute of Oncology, Department of Preventive Oncology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayran
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abali
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kilickap
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mentes
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kemik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gokce
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gokdemir
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toplar
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Isbir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000523:psychology*; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult