In:
Journal of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Vol. 30, No. 15_suppl ( 2012-05-20), p. 9046-9046
Abstract:
9046 Background: Reducing diagnostic delays may improve treatment outcomes in BC. We investigated in various countries patient-related factors influencing time to seeking medical advice for signs of BC. Methods: A total of 4,816 female BC patients from 10 countries were surveyed using a uniform questionnaire translated into local languages. Time between first patient-detected signs of BC and AMV was measured using categorized time scales. Out of 14 original items on a multiple scale measuring BC-related attitudes and behaviors, 5 factors were extracted and used for further analysis: distrust in medical system and success of therapy, disregard of signs, fear of BC, practicing regular breast self-examination and support from friends and family. Results: In the subset of 2,870 patients with self-detected BC who provided complete answers to relevant variables, the mean time to AMV varied in particular countries from 3.4 to 6.2 weeks (grand mean of 4.7 weeks), with 39% of cases with a delay of 〉 4 weeks. Overall, patient attributes that significantly influenced time to AMV were: distrust (p 〈 1E-36), disregard (p=1.26E-30), fear (p=2.65E-16), self-examination (p=1.31E-21), place of living (p=3.5E-3) and education (p=2.73E-3). Multilevel analysis indicated that significant differences among particular countries were only due to slopes of distrust and disregard included in general regression model. The model enhanced with the two abovementioned random effects provided significant improvement in predicting time to AMV. Re-estimation of the model based solely on data from individual countries produced 10 significant equations with varied coefficients for distrust and disregard (see table). Conclusions: Patient-related factors contribute considerably to delay in the diagnosis of BC. Differences between particular countries call for country-specific approaches. [Table: see text]
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0732-183X
,
1527-7755
DOI:
10.1200/jco.2012.30.15_suppl.9046
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Publication Date:
2012
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2005181-5
