Breast cancer correlates in a cohort of breast screening program participants in Riyadh, KSA.
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer is the first cancer among females in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accounting for 27.4% of all newly diagnosed female cancers in 2010. There are several risk factors affecting the incidence of breast cancer where some factors influence the risk more than the others.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to identify the different risk factors related to breast cancer among females participating in the breast-screening program in Riyadh, KSA.


METHODS
Based on data from phase-I of the breast-screening program, a case-control study was conducted on women living in Riyadh, KSA. A sample of 349 women (58 cases and 290 controls) was recruited to examine the different breast cancer correlates. Multivariate regression model was built to investigate the most important risk factors.


RESULTS
The mean age of cases was 48.5±7.1 years. Age at marriage, number of pregnancy, age at menopause, oral contraceptive pills, breast feeding and family history of breast cancer in first-degree relative were identified as the most important correlates among the studied cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the current work suggested that age at marriage, age at menopause ⩾50 years and 1st degree family history of breast cancer were risk factors for breast cancer, while, age at menopause <50 years, number of pregnancies and practicing breast feeding were protective factors against breast cancer. There was no effect of body mass index or physical inactivity. Further studies are needed to explore the hereditary, familial and genetic background risk factors in Saudi population.
Ministry of Health, Deputy Ministry for Public Health, Assistant Deputy for Primary Health Care, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fahad A
FA
Al-Amri
Ministry of Health, Deputy Ministry for Public Health, Assistant Deputy for Primary Health Care, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Y
MY
Saeedi
Ministry of Health, Deputy Ministry for Public Health, Assistant Deputy for Primary Health Care, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fatina M
FM
Al-Tahan
King Khalid University Hospitals, Medical Oncology Department, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia; Medical Oncology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt.
Arwa M
AM
Ali
Ministry of Health, Deputy Ministry for Public Health, Assistant Deputy for Primary Health Care, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Shaker A
SA
Alomary
Community Medicine Department, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
Mostafa
M
Arafa
Public Health & Community Medicine School, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt. Electronic address: ahmed.khair@yahoo.com.
Ahmed K
AK
Ibrahim
Ministry of Health, Deputy Ministry for Public Health, Assistant Deputy for Primary Health Care, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Kassim A
KA
Kassim
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology
Breast cancer; Case–control studies; Risk factors; Screening