Risk factors for breast cancer in south India: A case control study

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally. The incidence is rising even in developing countries. There seems to be a shift of breast cancer to younger ages making it more aggressive. A variation in the incidence of breast cancer may be due to geographical, racial, genetic and lifestyle and environmental factors. Knowledge and utilization of screening procedures for early diagnosis also contribute to variations in incidence of the disease. The present study was taken up to see the various risk factors associated with breast cancer in south India. A total of 99 women were recruited in the study of which 30 were controls and 69 were cases. Demographic data was collected by using a standard questionnaire and Information regarding age at menarche, menopausal status, age at first child birth, number of children and duration of breast feeding also collected. Information was sought about the lump in the breast like whether the woman noticed the lump, any associated pain in the breast and nipple discharge, and duration of lump till the first consultation and whether there is any family history of breast cancer. Breast cancer was found to occur a decade earlier in patients in South India when compared to the Western countries. It was also seen that literacy status, occupation, marital status, age of menarche and menopause contributed substantially to the occurrence of the disease. It is necessary to look for risk factors from time to time in the population so as not to miss any new or emerging risk factors. Assessing the complete risk factor profile of women is necessary to intervene early and prevent or decrease the incidence of the disease. Also, it would enable to educate and create awareness among women about the disease. It is necessary to teach and motivate women to perform breast self examination (BSE) regularly so that no lump in the breast goes unnoticed. However, the limitations of the present study are its small sample size taken from a hospital. A larger sample extended to the community might give a better generalized picture of breast cancer in the community.