NICOSIA - Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Cypriot women, with approximately 400 new cases every year, Dr Haritini Tsangari has said. Speaking at a press conference to present the findings of a study concerning concepts around self-examination, Tsangari said ''it has been scientifically proven that the possibilities of survival from breast cancer are increased with timely diagnosis, treatment and therapy." She noted that, according to the findings, 80% of Cypriot women said they had no reservations regarding self-examination, indicating that, like European women, they feel comfortable with their body, unlike those in the Middle East, who are hindered by religion and culture.
Tsangari also said that what caused concern was that, although almost all women said they were informed about breast cancer, 56% were unaware as to whether they were in a high-risk group. Furthermore, although 25% had a family history of breast cancer on the mother's side and 3.7% had a personal diagnosis of the disease, only 13% believed they were at risk. Also, 42% of women did not know if breast cancer was a serious disease or how severely it would affect their life, while 46% said they were not sure if they had the knowledge to properly examine themselves and 22% said they were not confident enough to do so.
The statistics of the study indicated that women who were confident about their knowledge concerning self-examination, had no reservations to do so and realised they were in a high risk group, would examine themselves more frequently.
This study, the first regarding self-examination, used a sample of 354 Cypriot women, aged 16 to 57, of which 70% held a university degree. Furthermore, 55% were single and 36% married.
The study was carried out by the Research Promotion Foundation, in the framework of cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt.