Reducing the Breast Cancer Menace: the Role of the Male Partner in Ghana

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> Breast cancer continues to be the most common type of cancer afflicting many women worldwide.Presently, educational campaigns and research target only women as if men have no role in the management ofthis disease. The study examined the willingness of male partners to assist in early female breast cancer detectionas well as their awareness and knowledge levels. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: Using a semi-structured questionnaire,data was collected from 500 public servants within the Tamale Metropolis and analyzed in SPSS. <br/><b>Results</b>: Thelevel of awareness of breast cancer was very high (98.8%) but there was a low level of knowledge of breast canceramong the male population. Marital status and religion had no effect on attitude, but increasing educationalstatus significantly increased knowledge and positive attitude towards breast cancer examination (χ2=4.255,p=0.0391). The majority (92.0%) agreed that men can assist in early breast cancer detection and 96.2% werewilling to be provided with breast examination skills. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: Although level of awareness on female breastcancers among the men was high, they generally lack knowledge of the disease. Majority of male partners wantto assist in early breast cancer detection if provided with the necessary skills.