Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer and the most common cause of cancer death among gynecological cancers. One in every four women with cancer in the world has breast cancer. The International Cancer Agency reported that there were around 2,088,849 new cases and 626,679 deaths due to breast cancer worldwide in 2018. The incidence of breast cancer is higher in developed countries than in developing countries, but the numbers of deaths due to breast cancer are lower in developed countries than in developing countries.
It is known that breast self-examination, clinical breast examination and mammography play an important role in making an early diagnosis of breast cancer. The uptake rate for mammography performed on a regular basis is low because this is an expensive method, considering that not all individuals have health insurance and public funding is inadequate, especially in developing countries. Hence, breast self-examination (which has no cost) and clinical breast examination (which only has low cost) remain important diagnostic methods. Moreover, during clinical breast examination, healthcare professionals have the opportunity to advise on breast cancer, risk factors, prevention methods and screening methods.
