title: [Opportunistic screening for breast cancer among young women in Maranhão State, Brazil].
abstract: Although breast cancer is infrequent in women under 40 years of age, it deserves attention, since diagnosis requires a high rate of clinical suspicion. Thus, preventive practices should be emphasized in childbearing-age women, with opportunistic screening as a relevant strategy. This study focused on breast cancer prevention practices adopted by young women in Maranhão State, Brazil. This was a population-based descriptive study conducted from June 2007 to January 2008. The majority of the women had low income (42.1%) and fewer than eight years of schooling (62.6%). Some 30% reported breast self-examination. Among women older than 35, 71.6% had never had a mammogram. The most common preventive measure was clinical examination (35.2%), which had increased by 11.5% in the previous ten years. Such information on opportunistic breast cancer screening in Maranhão should help produce specific public health policies for the State.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, Brasil. analiviapontes@bol.com.br
authors.forename: Ana Lívia Pontes de
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Nívya Carla de Oliveira Pereira
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Rolim
authors.forename: Mônica Elinor Alves
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gama
authors.forename: Aline Lima
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Pestana
authors.forename: Elza Lima da
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Carlos Leonardo Figueiredo
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Cunha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016504:Breast Self-Examination; D002648:Child; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult