The prevalence, epidemiology and screening results of breast cancer in women of Guilan province, north of Iran: A cross-sectional study during 2017-2018

Objective: Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women, affecting many women worldwide every year. Breast cancer screening is one of the best strategies to reduce the death rate caused by this cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, epidemiology and screening results of breast cancer in women in Guilan province. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 300 women who participated in the screening program in Guilan province during 2017-2018. The data were collected by a breast screening questionnaire. Finally, the data were analyzed using chi-square and independent t-tests. Results: The mean age of the patients was 49.96 +/- 6.53 years old and the estimated prevalence of breast cancer was 1.7% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.6-3.6). Physicians examination were significantly associated with breast cancer status (P = 0.003). The results also showed that the percentage of malignancy and benignity in the center (69 patient, 52.3%), west and northwest of Guilan (69 patient, 54.8%) was more than descriptive in East Guilan (20 patient, 47.6%). But it was not statistically significant (P = 0.730). The accuracy of mammography results (BIRADS) and sonography were 69.76% and the kappa coefficient was 0.44 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Implementation of screening programs in women should be considered and breast screening using mammography is one of the valuable methods for early detection of breast lesions, which is associated with a better prognosis of cancer.