Development of a breast cancer risk screening tool for women in Indonesia

Background: The existing challenges related to breast cancer (BC) in Indonesia encompass a significant mortality rate and limited awareness in promptly identifying the risk factors associated with the disease. The objective of this research was to create a screening tool for assessing BC risk among women in Indonesia.Methods: This study employed a case-control design. The study included a total of 985 women in the case group (those diagnosed with BC) and 985 women in the control group (those without BC), matched for age and sex. The data for this study were obtained from medical records, and primary data collection involved the use of a questionnaire.Results: The development of a BC risk screening tool in Indonesia included factors such as age at menopause, age at first pregnancy, family history of BC among first and second-degree relatives, oral contraceptive usage, smoking history, overweight, obesity, high-fat and high-calorie diets, and physical activity levels. The cumulative score derived from the predictor variables ranges from 0 (indicating no risk) to 33 (representing the presence of all risk factors). A total score above 8 indicates a high risk of BC, while a score of 8 or below indicates a low risk of BC. The accuracy of the screening tool was 0.806 (P < 0.001), with a sensitivity of 75.33% and a specificity of 73.20%.Conclusion: The newly developed screening tool shows promise in assessing the risk of BC among women in Indonesia, but additional testing is necessary before it can be recommended for widespread use.