Rastreamento oportunístico do câncer de mama entre mulheres jovens no Estado do Maranhão, Brasil

Although breast cancer is infrequent in women under 40 years of age, it deserves attention, since diagnosis requires a high rate of clinical suspicion. Thus, preventive practices should be emphasized in childbearing-age women, with opportunistic screening as a relevant strategy. This study focused on breast cancer prevention practices adopted by young women in Maranhao State, Brazil. This was a population-based descriptive study conducted from June 2007 to January 2008. The majority of the women had low income (42.1%) and fewer than eight years of schooling (62.6%). Some 30% reported breast self-examination. Among women older than 35, 71.6% had never had a mammogram. The most common preventive measure was clinical examination (35.2%), which had increased by 11.5% in the previous ten years. Such information on opportunistic breast cancer screening in Maranhao should help produce specific public health policies for the State.