ASCO Connection Features Uganda Breast Cancer Study

A team of researchers from the United States collaborated with the Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organization (UWOCASO) to create a survey that would give insight into factors influencing breast cancer stage at presentation: self-examination practices, clinical breast examinations in the past year, and preferences for seeking information and education when detecting a palpable lump. The researchers then looked at how these factors intersected with demographic factors such as income, education, and geographic location.

The study’s first author, John Scheel, MD, PhD, explained that the study lays the groundwork for interventions aimed at lowering the stage of clinical presentation for breast cancer. The findings make a strong case for the central role of health providers in education about breast self-examination and clinical breast examination. Coauthor  Benjamin Anderson, MD said it’s important to remember that the same patterns of late-stage presentation can be found in many regions and communities across the U.S.

Read Factors Associated with Later-Stage Clinical Presentation Among Patients with Breast Cancer in Uganda in ASCO Connection, the professional networking site for ASCO’s worldwide oncology community.

The results of the survey are reported in the study “Breast Cancer Downstaging Practices and Breast Health Messaging Preferences Among a Community Sample of Urban and Rural Ugandan Women,” published in the Journal of Global Oncology (JGO), Uganda Breast Cancer Study.

Dr. Scheel is a physician at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and an Assistant Professor of Radiology at UW School of Medicine.

Dr. Anderson is Director at the Breast Health Clinic at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Professor of Surgery and Global Health at UW School of Medicine, and Chair and Director of The Breast Health Global Initiative at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. An ASCO member since 2006, Dr. Anderson serves on the Journal of Global Oncology Editorial Board and has been a member of the International Affairs Committee and the Breast Cancer Symposium Steering Committee.