Women’s Awareness of Mammographic Screening for Breast Cancer in Togo

Abstract

Breast cancer represents a real public health problem due to its increasing frequency, its seriousness and its psycho-social implications. The aims of this study were to determine the level of awareness of women on the performance of mammography in the diagnosis and screening for breast cancer. This was a cross-sectional study over a period of 4 months (from October 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017) in Togo. It consisted in completing a questionnaire distributed to women above 30 years of age. The mean age of the women was 42 years. 88.8% of them had heard of breast cancer. There was a link between age, occupation, level of education and awareness of breast cancer. Only 20.8% of women had heard of mammography, with a link between awareness of mammography and age, occupation, and level of education. A link was noted between awareness of breast cancer and awareness of mammography. Information on mammographic breast cancer screening is inadequate in Togo.