Abstract

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women globally and continues to pose major public-health challenges because screening uptake and early help-seeking behaviour remain uneven across and within countries. This revised systematic literature review examines communication and behaviour-change interventions relevant to breast cancer prevention, screening, and early detection, with particular attention to the applicability of Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) as a conceptual framework. A literature search was conducted in January 2025 using PubMed and Google Scholar. The source manuscript reports that 45 records were screened and 28 studies met the inclusion criteria. The available evidence indicates that most interventions were broader communication or behaviour-change strategies rather than explicitly labelled COMBI programmes. Across the accessible literature, the most promising approaches were multi-component interventions combining reminders, culturally tailored communication, interpersonal support, navigation, community outreach, and where relevant, reduction of structural barriers. Similar studies in the wider literature also suggest that educational interventions may improve screening uptake, knowledge, and beliefs, but the magnitude and consistency of effect vary substantially according to population, intervention intensity, and context. Overall, the evidence supports the relevance of COMBI-aligned approaches while also indicating that COMBI-specific effectiveness in breast cancer prevention has not yet been conclusively established. The review therefore recommends cautious positioning of COMBI as a useful organising framework for designing effective communication strategies rather than as a directly validated intervention package in this field.

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