Modifiable Risk Factors in Patients with Breast Cancer

• Main Authors: Wilmer Ramírez Carmona, Julio Padrón González, Maikel Valero Carmona, Beatriz Díaz Fabregat
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de las Ciencias Médicas de Cienfuegos 2019-06-01
• Series: Revista Finlay
• Subjects: factores de riesgo; neoplasias de la mama
• Online Access: http://revfinlay.sld.cu/index.php/finlay/article/view/656

<strong>Foundation:</strong> breast cancer in Cuba is the first location and second cause of death due to malignant tumors in females. Identifying modifiable risk factors is still a challenge in community work. <br /><strong>Objective:</strong> to describe the modifiable risk factors associated with breast cancer in the Mario Muñoz Monroy University Teaching Polyclinic. <br /><strong>Method:</strong> descriptive, retrospective study in the Mario Muñoz Monroy University Teaching Polyclinic, between January and March of 2017, where an interview was applied to 30 patients diagnosed with cancer. The variables analyzed were: age, sex, and skin color, level of education, marital status, nulliparity, elderly mother, oral contraceptive, hormone therapy, absence of breastfeeding, alcohol consumption, smoking or exposure, overweight and absence of physical activity. The variables were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the statistical software BioEstat 5.3 was used to calculate relative risk and Fisher's exact test. <br /><strong>Results:</strong> female sex predominated (100.0 %), white skin color (77.0 %), married marital status (56.8 %) and the age group of 34 to 59 years (76.7 %). The earliest diagnostic age was 34 years. The predominating educational level was the pre-university level (30.4 %) and the primary level (42.8 %) in women aged 60 and over. Among the modifiable risk factors was the absence of physical activity (90.0 %), which was higher among women aged 34 to 59 years, followed by the absence of breastfeeding (40.0 %), and smoking or exposure (33.3 %). The relative risk of presenting modifiable risk factors was 1.6 times higher in patients with a primary level than in the university level, with no statistically significant association (p = 0.3186). <br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> modifiable risk factors associated with breast cancer were: absence of physical activity, absence of breastfeeding, smoking or exposure.