Conhecimento de estudantes de medicina: prevenção de câncer de mama e colo de útero

Abstract

Breast and cervical cancer are among the main neoplasms that affect women in Brazil and in the world, and breast cancer has the highest mortality rate in this group, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Moreover, when diagnosed early, they have excellent prognoses, since cervical cancer is asymptomatic and without many signs in its initial phase. Thus, it is extremely important to perform screening for such neoplasms, through tests such as mammography and colpocytology. However, the effectiveness of detection and screening depends, among other things, on the correct guidance of health professionals to patients. Thus, this research aimed to verify the knowledge of medical students regarding early detection and prevention strategies for breast and cervical cancer. An objective questionnaire was applied based on information contained in the National Cancer Institute regarding detection methods and screening of these neoplasms. 196 students between the first and fourth year were interviewed, and an increase in the number of correct answers of 17% was observed, with significant differences in the answers regarding the screening methods. At the end of the research, it was found that there is a deficit regarding the most basic aspects of the disease, such as signs and symptoms and main forms of early detection, yet, there is an increase in the number of correct answers over the periods,due to the fragmentation of subjects during academic training.