Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination and Clinical Breast Examination among Women in the Buea Health District, Cameroon: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths recorded in 2020. In Cameroon, breast cancer represents the leading cancer among women, accounting for 34.1% of new female cancer cases. A study was conducted between June and December 2020 among 346 women aged 21 to 60 years in the Buea Health District. Results showed that only 24.0% of women had good knowledge about breast cancer and only 26.9% had good knowledge about breast self-examination and clinical breast examination. Satisfactory practice of breast self-examination and clinical breast examination was demonstrated by only 22.3% of women. University education was independently associated with satisfactory breast examination practice. The study concluded that knowledge and practice of breast self-examination are critically low and urgent community-based educational interventions targeting women with limited formal education are needed.