An-Najah Staff

Breast cancer is the most common from of malignancy in females in the West Bank. The incidence rate of breast cancer in West Bank is three times that it was 1970’s. This increase may be partially explained by the improvement of health services specially in reporting and diagnosis of the disease. But these factors related to this increase. This study aimed to assess the status of breast cancer in West Bank especially in the Jordan and Israel. This study also aimed to assess the risk factors associated with this rapid increase especially in the northern part of West Bank. Eighty breast cancer patients at the Cancer Center at Al Watani Hospital at Nablus city were interviewed for this purpose. Our results indicate that this risk is associated to reproductive and menstrual factors) breast-feeding, age at first childbirth, and use of oral contraceptive pills). Our results also indicate that smoking and family history is associated with the disease incidence.