Breast cancer: Knowledge and perceptions of Chinese women in Hong Kong

examine the perception and barriers of breast cancer screenings of Hong Kong Chinese women using a structured questionnaire. Of the 496 respondents, 70.8% and 77.0% considered a family history of breast cancer and prior history of benign beast problems as risk factors respectively. However, over 40% were unsure of other risk factors including age, early age at menstruation, late age at menopause, childlessness and oral contraceptive use. About 80% regarded breast cancer as a serious illness and 88.7% acknowledged that both mammography and breast self examination (BSE) could help early detection of the disease. Nevertheless about 68% had never had a mammogram, and the most important perceived barriers were not knowing how the test was done (81.3%) and the cost (63.0%). Only 31.9% did not practice BSE, and not knowing how to perform BSE was the primary perceived barrier.