A study of patients who appear with far advanced cancer at Yaounde General Hospital, Cameroon, Africa

Abstract

Understanding the factors that influence delay is important to improving the outcomes for cancer patients. Factors that contribute to delay in developing countries appear to be largely the paucity of appropriate health care, coupled with poor information, and beliefs and fears about cancer.

Epidemiology, Pathology, Management and Open Challenges of Breast Cancer in Central Sudan: A Prototypical Limited Resource African Setting

“…Similar high proportions of advanced stage at diagnosis of breast cancer have been reported by several studies from other sub-Saharan African countries [36][37][38]. The contrary was reported from high resource countries, where 38% of the European and 30% of the US breast cancer cases have either locally advanced or metastatic disease at diagnosis [41].…”

“…In limited resource countries, breast cancer is typically characterized by a relatively advanced stage at presentation [33,[36][37][38][39][40]. Data from National Cancer Institute, University of Gezira (NCI-UG) conirm that the patients with breast cancer present in small proportion with localized disease and in large proportion with regionally difuse and metastatic disease, as shown in Table 1.…”

Ethics for international medicine: a practical guide for aid workers in developing countries

“…Traditional healers are often more easily accessible than medical clinics (Baskind and Birbeck 2005). Traditional healers are generally less expensive than medical clinics or hospitals (Ekortarl, Ndom, and Sacks 2007). Because traditional healers live with and know the people in their communities, they are often more trusted than medical aid workers who are outsiders (Clem and Green 1996).…”

“…Because traditional healers live with and know the people in their communities, they are often more trusted than medical aid workers who are outsiders (Clem and Green 1996). Traditional healers are aware of the cultural, social, and psychological context of disease within their communities, which allows them to design treatments that are consistent with cultural fears, superstitions, and beliefs (Baskind and Birbeck 2005;Ekortarl, Ndom, and Sacks 2007). Because people in developing countries often believe in supernatural etiologies for disease, they tend to seek care from traditional healers who are sensitive to these beliefs and offer treatments that are consistent with them (Baskind and Birbeck 2005;Dotchin, Msuya, and Walker 2007;Epstein 2007, 141;Osborne 2006).…”

“…Many patients in developing countries believe in a supernatural etiology of disease, such as sorcery or witchcraft (Baskind and Birbeck 2005;Ekortarl, Ndom, and Sacks 2007;Osborne 2006). These beliefs often influence the ways in which patients view disease and, more importantly, how patients adhere to treatment plans (Kleinman and Benson 2006).…”