title: Survey on a mammographic screening program in Istanbul, Turkey.
abstract: Breast cancers in Turkey tend to be diagnosed at advanced stages due to lack of organized comprehensive mammographic screening. In this study, factors associated with having a mammogram among healthy women of screening age in Bahcesehir county, a region in Istanbul, were investigated to assess the feasibility of organized breast cancer screening in Turkey. In this cross-sectional study, 659 healthy women aged between 40 and 69 years were surveyed. A multiple-choice questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding patient demographics, family history of cancer, and patient knowledge on mammographic screening. Factors associated with increased likelihood of having a mammogram included age older than 50 (OR=1.75; 95% CI=1.23-2.49), higher educational level (high school or university graduate; OR=1.55; 95% CI=1.07-2.25), and undergoing periodic gynecologic examinations (OR=5.53; 95% CI= 3.88-7.89). Women aged between 40 and 49 years, who were most likely to have a mammogram within the last 2 years were characterized by a higher educational level (OR=1.94; 95% CI=1.14-3.31), periodic gynecologic examinations (OR=4.06; 95% CI=2.53-6.51), and a first or second degree family history of breast cancer (OR=2.2; 95% CI= 1.06-4.50). In contrast, women aged between 50 and 69 years were more likely to have undergone mammography within the previous 2 years if they also had undergone periodic gynecologic examinations (OR=8.63; 5.04-14.77). Our findings suggest that women of lower educational level and those who do not undergo routine wellness visits with their gynecologist will need to be specifically targeted for educational outreach to achieve broad screening compliance within the population.
authors: Department of Surgery, Istanbul Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. vozmen@istanbul.edu.tr
authors: Vahit
authors: V
authors: Ozmen
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Nilufer Ozaydin
authors: Neslihan
authors: N
authors: Cabioglu
authors: Bahadir M
authors: BM
authors: Gulluoglu
authors: Pemra C
authors: PC
authors: Unalan
authors: Serra
authors: S
authors: Gorpe
authors: Birce Rumisa
authors: BR
authors: Oner
authors: Erkin
authors: E
authors: Aribal
authors: David B
authors: DB
authors: Thomas
authors: Benjamin O
authors: BO
authors: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey