To study breast cancer risk factors in Iranian female patients, A case-control study was conducted.
The cases were entered to the study if they had a pathological breast cancer diagnosis. The controls in Imam-khomainy hospital were recruited from female patients admitted to surgical wards, and in Jahad breast clinic, were recruited from dentistry clinic. The controls had not any history of breast problems and neoplastic diseases. The cases and controls were matched for age. Demographic data and risk factors were collected via a structured short interview.
In all, 310 case and 292 controls were studied. Breast cancer risk was significantly higher in women with a family history of the disease (OR=2.64, 95% CI=1.13-7.33), and with late age at last birth (OR=1.6, 95% CI=0.18-2.37). Compared with married women, unmarried patients in were higher risk of getting breast cancer (OR=4, 95% CI=1.72-9.32).
This findings suggest that unmarried women, women with family history of breast cancer, and late age at last birth, should be targeted by public health programmes.