Delay in breast cancer care: a study in Thai women

Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Thai women. Cancer registry data reveal a high prevalence of late-stage disease at diagnosis. The factors resulting in delay in Thailand have not yet been investigated.

To determine the extent of, and the factors contributing to, delay in breast cancer care.

Women with breast cancer who were first treated at Songklanagarind Hospital between June 1994 and June 1996 were interviewed with retrospective chart audits of care.

Dependent variables included patient delay (symptom recognition to first care) and system delay (first care to treatment). Independent variables tested included demographic factors, help-seeking behavior, and cancer knowledge. Nonparametric rank sum tests were used for univariate analysis, and Cox regression was used for multivariate analysis.

Ninety-four cases were included in the study. The median patient and system delays were 4 weeks; 26.6% and 24.4% of patients, respectively, experienced patient and system delay >12 weeks. Only marital status (unmarried compared with married women) was significantly associated with patient delay (hazard ratio [HR] 2.78, 95% CI 1.23-6.25). Contacting a provincial hospital instead of a university hospital as first medical care (hazard ratio 2.50, 1.23-5.26), being given a diagnosis rather than being told nothing (HR 2.04, 1.14-3.57) and being given treatment rather than being immediately referred (HR 4.55, 2.22-9.09) were associated with system delay.

Patient delay and system delay in breast cancer care are important weaknesses of disease control in Thailand. Educational programs should target unmarried women, who are at higher risk of delay. System delay in hospitals outside the university needs to be improved by a good referral system.