Awareness of general and personal risk factors for uterine cancer among healthy women

Participation rates in gynaecological cancer screening are influenced by different factors. The knowledge of general and personal risk factors for uterine cancer among women might influence their interest in gynaecological cancer screening. Two thousand nine hundred women in 23 gynaecological outpatient services were invited to answer a structured questionnaire regarding general and personal risk factors for cervical and endometrial carcinoma; 2108 women participated. Women with a history of cancer were excluded from the study. It was found that levels of knowledge about uterine carcinoma were low. Only 47.4% of women knew the difference between the sites of origin of cervical and endometrial cancer. Seventy-seven per cent of participants assessed their knowledge about uterine malignancies as insufficient; 96.3% would appreciate more information about uterine cancer. Younger women were significantly less well informed than postmenopausal women. Known risk factors such as smoking or human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as factors for cervical cancer were underestimated; most women assessed genetic factors as most important for the development of uterine cancer. The level of information about risk factors as well as general facts about gynaecological cancer in women is low. Ameliorating this lack of information might influence the perception of uterine cancer and result in higher participation rates in gynaecological cancer screening. European Journal of Cancer Prevention 14:519-524 (c) 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.