Associated factors with mammographic changes in women undergoing breast cancer screening

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate association of sociodemographic, anthropometric, and epidemiological factors with result of mammogram in women undergoing breast cancer screening. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with data obtained through interviews, anthropometric measurements, and mammography of 600 women aged 40 to 69 years at the Preventive Medicine Department of Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, Brazil, in 2014. The results of these examinations in the BI-RADS categories 1 and 2 were grouped and classified in this study as normal mammogram outcome, and those of BI-RADS categories 3, 4A, 4B, 4C, and 5 were grouped and classified as altered mammogram outcome. The statistical analysis included the Student's t-test to compare means, as well as odds ratios (OR), with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), to verify an association by means of the multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Of 600 women evaluated, 45% belonged to the age group of 40–49 years-old and 60.2% were classified as BI-RADS category 2. The multivariate analysis showed that women with blood hypertension (OR: 2.64; 95%CI: 1.07–6.49; p<0.05) were more likely to present changes in the mammography, while physical activity was associated with lower chances (OR: 0.30; 95%CI: 0.11–0.81; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Hypertensive women undergoing screening mammography are more likely to present mammographic changes, whereas women practicing physical activity have lower chances (70%) of presenting changes in the breast compared with sedentary individuals.