[Breast diseases in young women of Niger: results of a campaign for self examination awareness in a nursing school].

In order to favour the early diagnosis of breast cancer, the authors used an original method consisting in teaching nurses about breast tumors and cancer, and especially about self-examination of the breasts. Subsequently, 73 patients aged under 24 years were admitted to our survey: 90 per cent had an understanding of risk factors and 97 per cent were practicing self-examination. In 21 cases, consultation was carried out for mastalgia and in 12 cases for esthetic and/or banal inflammatory lesions: 40 patients presented a lump in the breast. Sonography turned out to be a better method of examination than mammography in those young women presenting breast lesions. Following surgery, histological examination found that in the majority of cases the tumour was benign (fibrocyst or adenofibromas). We were surprised by medullary carcinoma in one case.