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Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Breast cancer is ranked the first female cancer (33.4%) in Morocco; and more than 60% cases are diagnosed at stage III or IV. During the last decade, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become an important part of breast cancer treatment. Aim: The objective of this study is to describe self- reported HRQOL in patients with breast cancer and to investigate its associations with socio-demographic and clinical variables. Methods: A prospective study was carried out in the main oncology centers in Morocco. Quality of life was measured using the Moroccan Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C 30 (EORTC QLQ C30) and Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-BR23). Statistical data analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 1463 subjects were included in the study. The subjects' mean age was 55.6 (SD. 11.2) years, 70% were married. The majority of the subjects had stage II (45.9%) and the few cases had stage IV (12.9%). Participants had a mean score for global health of 68.5. Among functional scales, social functioning scored the highest (mean 86.2, SD = 22.7). The most distressing symptom on the symptom scales was financial difficulties (mean 63.2, SD = 38.2). Using the disease-specific tool, it was found that future perspective scored the lowest (mean 40.5, SD = 37.3). On the symptom scale, arm symptoms scored the highest (mean 23.6, SD = 21.6). Significant mean differences were noted for many functional and symptom scales. Conclusion: Our results emphasize that the general HRQOL of the studied women is fairer than that of the corresponding population in other countries. This study provided baseline information on the quality of life of a large sample of Moroccan women diagnosed with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is characterized in Morocco, by the delay in diagnosis, with a high rate of metastatic extension which leads to the difficulty of treatment and an increasement of mortality. It is often the woman who detects breast abnormalities through self-examination. Self-examination alone does not diagnose the breast cancer. Despite it is accessible method in developing countries because it is easy, convenient, private, safe and requires no specific equipment. Aim: The objective was to study the practice of breast self-examination in women in Morocco. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study that was conducted in July 2011 based on early detection programs in basic health centers. A total of 1444 women aged from 17 to 86 years were included on the eligibility basis for early detection of breast and cervical cancer in Morocco. For each participant we collected sociodemographic data, information on breast cancer factors, data on the level of knowledge of breast cancer, and information on breast self-examination practice. Results: The average age was 41 years old. The information on breast self-examination came mainly from the media (57, 28%). The practice of the breast self-examination in 56.9%. In our study population, we had 76.6% multiparous, 7.8% nulliparous and 15.6% primiparous. Among the 36 participants, 3% were illiterate, 23% had primary education, 26.4% secondary education and 201 (14%) had a higher education level. The breast self-examination practice was associated with participants´ level of education (OR = 1.69) (P = 0.000). Membership in the different age groups had no effect on the practice of breast self-examination (P = 0.182). Conclusion: It is imperative to increase awareness of the practice of breast self-examination and its methods through health education campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The project aimed to implement pilot screening and treatment services for cervical cancer integrated with existing primary health centers (PHCs) in Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, and Senegal and evaluate these services using implementation research outcomes such as reach, effectiveness, adoption, and acceptability., Materials and Methods: The Ministry of Health in each country took the lead in setting up a stakeholder's group that designed a protocol tailored to the local context. The target age was 25-49 years in Benin and Cote d'Ivoire and 30-49 years in Senegal. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) was the screening test, and thermal ablation (TA) was the ablative treatment of choice in all. The Ministry in each country identified 4-5 PHCs to set up screening and ablation services and one higher-level center for colposcopy referral. After a master-trainer led training program, nurses, midwives, or general practitioners screened opportunistically the eligible women attending the clinics. The VIA-positive women eligible for ablation were offered immediate treatment., Results: Between May 2018 and January 2021, 16,530 women were screened opportunistically. VIA positivity was 8.1% with huge variability within and between countries. Sixty-one percent of all VIA-positive cases were eligible for immediate TA, and 88% of them accepted same-day treatment. Compliance to TA at PHCs was 99%. Majority of women treated with TA complained of minor side effects. Significant dropouts occurred as the women were referred to colposcopy clinics., Conclusion: Opportunistic screening provided as part of routine PHC service can screen many women and treat a significant proportion of screen-positive women with TA with minimal side effects. Primary concerns are the hard-to-reach women who remain out of opportunistic screening coverage and noncompliance of the screen-positive women referred to higher-level centers.