title: [Profile of women with breast disease wich does self-exploration. Which are the factors associated with this practice?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In recent decades the fight against breast cancer has focused primarily on the treatment and secondary prevention (early detection mainly). In the case of breast self-examination, althought it has not been prove to reduce mortality, it is important in cases detected by women themselves (it is estimated 90% of total), mainly in the interval cancers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify within women with breast cancer, how many do self-examination and identify associated factors. Describe the clinical and pathological features of cancers in women who do perform self-examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  In women diagnosed with breast cancer during 2007 in a hospital in the province of Cadiz, Spain, is reconstructed in retrospect the story related the cancer process: symptoms, psychosocial factors that determine the contact with the health system, preventive practices (self-examination, mammography screening). A description of the pathological tumor: presenting symptom, tumor size, node negative, grade of differentiation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 149 women with breast cancer, from whom 52% did self-exploration. Women who performed self-examination were younger (54.78 years) against the women who did not (65.63 years), married (66.2%), active workers and have a higher educational level. The assessment of the first symptoms in these women as "important" is positively correlated with those women who practice self-examination. For other preventive practices, women who does self-examination are also the most actives in early detection programs (74.4% against 29.5% which didn't do self-examination). For the pathologic characteristics of tumor in women who did self-examination: the tumor size was 2.5 cm, 50.7/are well differentiated, and 59.1% of cases the nodes are negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women who does self-examination are younger, have higher educational level, are married, are active workers and are often involved in other preventive practices. On them, the tumors diagnosed have a smaller size, are diagnosed at earlier stages and usually present better degree of differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Servicio Andaluz de Salud.
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mejías Márquez
authors.forename: Encarnación
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benítez Rodríguez
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García González
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mata Pérez
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lepiani Díaz
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Paramio Cuevas
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016504:Breast Self-Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged