Delay among women reporting symptoms of Breast cancer

Abstract

To describe factors related to timing of first contact with an allopathic medical practitioner , among patients with symptoms of breast cancer attending breast clinic at Cancer Institute, Maharagama. Method A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among a total of 335 consecutive women who attended the clinic for the first time, during the period of survey. All the patients registered at the breast clinic for the first time were recruited. A pre-tested, interviewer administered questionnaire was used. Results Thirty eight percent (n=127) of patients had a delay in presentation which was defined as greater than 12 weeks. The mean time duration between experiencing a symptom and in seeking medical care was 11.5 weeks (SD=1.41). Factors significantly related to delayed presentation were age (elderly) [p<0.001], marital status (unmarried, divorced or widowed) [p=0.037], fertility status (women with no children) [p=0.011], ethnicity (Tamils and Muslims) [p= 0.002], an income of less than Rs. 10,000 (p= 0.002), low social class (p<0.001), first symptom not being a lump (p<0.001), a distance of > 5 km from home to medical facility (p=0.003), not attending a well woman clinic (p=0.002), assuming the condition to be a benign one (p<0.001), having undergone any kind of surgery under general anaesthesia (p =0.038) and poor knowledge on breast cancer (p<0.001). Conclusion Delay in seeking treatment for suspected breast cancer is a problem in Sri Lanka. Women may benefit from greater awareness of the benefits of early detection and expansion of diagnostic and treatment facilities for breast cancer.

Factors Delaying Presentation of Sudanese Breast Cancer Patients: an Analysis Using Andersen's Model

“…Marital status stands out as a highly debatable issue. The non-significant association resulted matches Innos et al (2013) and Ramirez et al (1999) DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2016.17.4.2105 between marriage and late presentation, contradicts what other studies have reached (Thongsuksai et al, 2000;Ali et al, 2008;Kumari and Goonewardena, 2001). Our conclusions which did not associate both education and occupation with presentation category are in keeping with many reports (Norsa'adah et al, 2011;Cheng et al, 2015).…”

Reasons for Patient's Delay in Diagnosis of Breast Carcinoma in Pakistan

“…Being single (unmarried, widowed or divorced) was found to be associated with more prolonged delays in our study A probable reason of this can be that such women have a pessimistic attitude towards life, care least about their health and do not have any desire to solve their health related issues. Studies consistent with this (Thongsuksai et al, 2000;Montazeri et al, 2003;Ali, et al, 2008;Kumari et al, 2011), also hold a similar perception about widowed and divorced women who are less motivated to seek help or care about themselves and also lack support (Facione 1993). However a study suggests that married women, delay more as compared to unmarried women (Harirchi et al,2005) while another suggests no association between marital status and patient delays (Ramirez et al, 1999).…”

The Radioprotective Effects of Nano-Curcumin Against Genotoxicity Induced by Iodine-131 in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma (DTC) by Micronucleus Assay

“…Although this association was not significant in the multivariate model, in some other studies, living in rural areas has been significantly associated with delayed presentation (22,37,40). In Kerman province, Iran, some rural residents have to travel longer distances to receive care or to access a range of medical, dental, and mental health specialty services.…”

“…However, a significant relationship between better economic situation and less delay was found in some studies (22,37).…”

“…Employment may reduce the odds of delay in presentation because these individuals have better communication with the society and access to information and health-related services (37).…”