Barriers and enablers of breast cancer screening among women in East Africa: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is among the most common cancers globally with a projected increase in incidence and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. The majority of the patients in East Africa present with advanced disease contributing to poor disease outcomes. Breast cancer screening enables earlier detection of the disease and therefore reduces the poor outcomes associated with the disease. This study aims to identify and synthesize the reported barriers and enablers of breast cancer screening among East African women. METHODS: Medline, Embase, SCOPUS, and Cochrane library were searched for articles published on the subject from start to March 2022 using PRISMA guidelines. Also, forward citation, manual search of references and searching of relevant journals were done. A thematic synthesis was carried out on the “results/findings” sections of the identified qualitative papers followed by a multi-source synthesis with quantitative findings. RESULTS: Of 4560 records identified, 51 were included in the review (5 qualitative and 46 quantitative), representing 33,523 women. Thematic synthesis identified two major themes – “Should I participate in breast cancer screening?” and “Is breast cancer screening worth it?”. Knowledge of breast cancer and breast cancer screening among women was identified as the most influencing factor. CONCLUSION: This review provides a rich description of factors influencing uptake of breast cancer screening among East African women. Findings from this review suggest that improving knowledge and awareness among both the public and providers may be the most effective strategy to improve breast cancer screening in Eastern Africa. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-16831-0.