Factors Associated With Treatment Delay in Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study

Introduction The frequency of breast cancer (BC) is increasing among Pakistani females. It has been estimated that one out every nine women is predicted to develop BC, which is the highest disease occurring rate in the Asian population. The study aimed to evaluate the factors responsible for delay in diagnosis of BC in Sindh, Pakistan. Methodology This study was conducted at the Medical Oncology Department of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center Karachi from December 2018 to June 2019. All women between 17 and 80 years diagnosed with BC who had treatment delay of more than six months were included in the study using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. The face-to-face interviews were conducted by the researcher himself and all the data regarding demographics and factors related to treatment delay of BC was noted in a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results 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 50 (70.4%) 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 71.8% 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.