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Determinants of cancer stage. A population-based study of elderly New Mexicans
J M Samet1, W C Hunt, J S Goodwin
1Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico Medical Center, Albuquerque 87131.
Abstract:
To assess the role of delay and other factors in determining stage of cancer at diagnosis, the authors interviewed a population-based sample of 800 elderly persons with newly diagnosed cancer at selected sites. Lengthening delay interval was associated with a declining proportion of local stage cases for breast cancer but not other sites. Of the other determinants of stage examined, older age, having a family physician, receiving medical checkups, having greater knowledge of cancer, and having no functional loss were most strongly predictive of local stage. For breast cancer, performance of breast self-examination also predicted local stage.