Risk Factors of Breast Cancer in Kuwait: Case-Control Study

Background: Breast cancer incidence has increased rapidly in Kuwait, but there haven't been any studies investigating the recognized risk factors of breast cancer in Kuwait. The aim of the study was to investigate breast cancer risk factors among women in Kuwait. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Kuwait from May 2003 to March 2004 using a questionnaire including socio-demographic data and breast cancer risk factors between two groups of women. Cases were women with confirmed diagnoses of breast cancer within the last 2 years; they were selected from Kuwait Cancer Control Centre (KCCC), controls were women with no history of breast cancer. They were recruited from primary health care centers using random table. The selected age group was women of 30-65. Risk factors that modulate the development of breast cancer assessed in this study were: socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive history, exogenous hormones, and family history of breast cancer. Results: The total participants were 1070, breast cancer cases were 514 (48%) and the controls were 556 (52%), the majority of breast cancer cases were of 40-49 age group, breast cancer risk increased with menopause, recent hormone replacement therapy and family history of breast cancer. Conclusion: This study confirmed a number of recognized risk factors contributing in the development of breast cancer in Kuwait. It revealed that cases of breast cancers were relatively young in age; this should raise the anxiety of health care providers in Kuwait.