Breast cancer screening knowledge and practice among radiology professional

Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of breast cancer examinations among radiologists and radiographers in Jordan, and whether these practitioners perform breast cancer screening (BCS) on them and recommend BCS to their relatives. Methods: This study was approved by our institutional review board. A cross-sectional, online-based study was conducted over 110 days. The participants were radiologists (n=8) and radiographers (n=64). Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about sociodemographic characteristics (age, location, gender, specialty, workplace, and job type). Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, a one-way ANOVA, and the independent samples t-test. Statistical significance was inferred below p≤0.05. Results: Although 61.8% of participants were knowledgeable about breast examinations, only 65.7% (n=48) of respondents performed breast self-examinations (BSE), 28.7% (n=21) clinical breast examination (CBE) and 15.1 (n=5) performed mammography examination. Most participants (55.6%, n=40) reported that lacked sufficient time to perform BSE of their breasts. Moreover, 71.2% (n=52) of participants did not undergo CBE because they lacked sufficient time, knowledge about such screening or were afraid to be told they had breast cancer. In total, 15.0% (n=11) of participants recommended BSE and CBE to their relatives. Conclusion: Radiologists and radiographers are aware of the benefits of breast cancer screening and its ability to facilitate early diagnosis of breast cancer. Moreover, some practitioners advise their relatives to perform BSEs and attend CBE. However, low percentages of respondents performed BSEs and underwent clinical breast examinations. Reported reasons included lack of time, uncertainty about how to perform BSEs, or were afraid to be told they had breast cancer.

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