Reasons for clinical breast examination in women applying at a cancer screening center in Erzurum.

UNLABELLED This study was conducted to investigate the reasons for application of women for Clinical Breast Examination (CBE). METHODS This descriptive study involved 155 women who applied to Cancer Screening and Education Center of Numune Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey between December 1, 2008 and January 30, 2009. The data collection was performed by evaluation of demographic characteristics of the participants using a descriptive information form to identify the application reasons. RESULTS The age range of the participants was 37-68 years (mean: 48.7 years). Of the participants, 43.9% applied for breast screening; 31.0%, for pathological changes in the breast; 17.4%, for breast check-up, and 7.7%, for concerns over familial risk. CONCLUSIONS Most of the women (69.0%) applied to the center without any pathological changes in their breasts.