Improvement of breast cancer screening adherence in a rural area of Mongolia

National Cancer Council of Mongolia – Mongolia

As part of the Breast Cancer programme, this project was awarded a grant for early detection of breast cancer in October 2022.

Project objectives

The project aimed to improve breast cancer screening adherence in rural areas of Mongolia by first understanding the barriers faced by women, implementing step-wise strategies to increase screening enrolment, and compiling information for policy changes as well as training of health care professionals.

Project description

The project team collaborated with the Department of Health, General Practitioner (GP) clinics, community health centres, and local media to implement this project. Through the use of an online questionnaire, phone calls, and face-to-face focus group discussions, the project identified the barriers and challenges faced by women and doctors in remote and rural areas with regard to breast cancer screening. Lack of knowledge and awareness about breast cancer was found to be a major obstacle, with 60% of women responding incorrectly to knowledge questions. This insight allowed the project to develop educational materials and strategies to address these barriers. Through the project, 20,000 women were reached with information on breast health and 433 healthcare professionals were trained on Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) and referral.

This multifaceted approach resulted in an 84.3% screening enrolment in the Arkhangai province, a notable increase from the 59.9% in 2022 and 2021. The team successfully reached 18,058 women to be screened which resulted in 117 women with suspicious breast symptoms. These women were navigated to the secondary and tertiary level hospitals, and 6 women with abnormal results required treatment, 4 were at stage II, and 2 cases were at stage III. The navigation services provided by the organisation led to all diagnoses being completed within 60 days, with an average diagnosis interval of 40 days.

Impact

The project's findings and strategies continued to have an impact even after the grant period end. The educational materials developed, including leaflets, posters, and videos, are still used in current screening programmes. Overall, this project has made significant progress in improving breast cancer screening adherence, identifying barriers, and strengthening the health system in rural areas of Mongolia.