PREDICTORS OF BREAST CANCER RISK AMONG HAIR DYE USERS AT EL-MANIAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, CAIRO UNIVERSITY, EGYPT

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer related deaths among women worldwide. Concern has been highlighted by many authors that mutagenic substances and carcinogens were found in hair dye products. So the use of hair dyes may increase the risk of breast cancer. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to determine whether the use of hair dyes is associated with the risk of breast cancer. A descriptive correlational design was adopted in this study and a structured questionnaire was developed by the researchers to collect the data related to patients' characteristics, such as; age, level of education, health status and nature of hair dyes. Data was obtained from 250 patients at El- Manial University Hospital, Cairo University. The study findings revealed that (64.1%) of patients age ranged between 26- 36 years with Mean ± SD (36.8560 ± 8.24836). After adjusting the confounding variables such as age, family history and level of education, the study showed a positive association between using hair dyes and breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer increased with using semi-permanent as compared to permanent type (OR: 1.480, 95% CI 0.896 - 2.443). The risk increased with using a dark color of hair dyes (OR: 1.312, 95% CI 0.708 - 2.429). Therefore, Patients should be instructed to use natural substances such as henna and other suggested alternatives to color hair, instead of using chemical substances.