A Prospective Study of Recognizing the Reasons for Women’s Delayed Treatment of Breast Cancer Symptoms
Published 18-10-2024
Keywords
- Breast Cancer,
- Time Delays,
- Socioeconomic Factors
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Abstract
Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and a major global health problem, leading cause of death among women. Globally, breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women and is increasing in developing countries. Objective: To identify reasons for delayed treatment of breast cancer symptoms in women. Methods & Materials: A prospective observational study was conducted from January to June 2022 in the Department of Surgery, Enam Medical College and Hospital, Savar, Bangladesh. The sample size was estimated to be 100. All women aged 18–70 years who were diagnosed with BC and received treatment for at least 6 months participated in the study using a non-probability consecutive sampling method. Women with psychiatric disorders who did not provide consent were excluded from the study. Results: A total of 100 patients were included in the study. The age of the patients was 45.38±11.58 years. The mean BMI was reported as 26.28±5.49 kg/m2. The majority of the patients were living in urban areas (n=70, 70.0%) whereas 30 patients (30.0%) were living in rural areas. Most of them were illiterate (n=52, 52.0%), belonged from low class (n=75, 75.0%), housewives (n=84, 84.0%) and married (n=64, 64.0%). Appointment delay was significantly associated with a treatment-seeking delay in patients (p=0.03). Lack of awareness was another significant factor associated with treatment delay in BC patients. About 25 (65.5%) women who reported a lack of awareness sought treatment after 10 months of their first onset of symptoms (p=0.001). Cultural beliefs were a significant cause of treatment delay of 10-12 months in 77.8% of patients (p=0.021). Financial constraints significantly correlated with treatment delay (p=0.015). Conclusion: The cultural beliefs, poor financial status, and lack of awareness are the significant factors for the treatment delay in BC patients. Promoting female health awareness can tackle many of these issues.
