TY - JOUR
T1 - Patterns of seeking medical care among Egyptian breast cancer patients
T2 - Relationship to late-stage presentation
AU - Mousa, Shimaa M.
AU - Seifeldin, Ibrahim A.
AU - Hablas, Ahmed
AU - Elbana, Eman S.
AU - Soliman, Amr S.
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to acknowledge the staff of the Gharbiah Cancer Society and the Tanta Cancer Center for their dedication and willingness to aid this research. Shimaa Mousa was supported by the Cancer Epidemiology Education in Special Populations (CEESP) Program of the University of Michigan ( R25 CA112383 ).
PY - 2011/12
Y1 - 2011/12
N2 - Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Egyptian women, accounting for 37.6% of female tumors, and is often diagnosed at later stages. The objective of this study was to investigate breast cancer patient navigation through the health care system in the Nile Delta. Interviews were conducted with 163 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients at the Tanta Cancer Center (TCC), the major cancer center of the region. Patients described their medical care pathway from the initial symptom experienced until their arrival at TCC. Patients whose initial contact was with a general surgeon (OR: 7.6, 95% CI: 2.1, 27.6), primary care provider (OR: 12.2, 95% CI: 2.9, 51.0), or gynecologist (OR: 8.6, 95% CI: 1.4, 53.4) were significantly more likely to experience a delay in reaching the TCC as compared to those visiting a surgical oncologist. Overcoming health care system and patient navigation barriers in developing countries may reduce the time for breast cancer patients to reach a cancer center for early management.
AB - Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Egyptian women, accounting for 37.6% of female tumors, and is often diagnosed at later stages. The objective of this study was to investigate breast cancer patient navigation through the health care system in the Nile Delta. Interviews were conducted with 163 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients at the Tanta Cancer Center (TCC), the major cancer center of the region. Patients described their medical care pathway from the initial symptom experienced until their arrival at TCC. Patients whose initial contact was with a general surgeon (OR: 7.6, 95% CI: 2.1, 27.6), primary care provider (OR: 12.2, 95% CI: 2.9, 51.0), or gynecologist (OR: 8.6, 95% CI: 1.4, 53.4) were significantly more likely to experience a delay in reaching the TCC as compared to those visiting a surgical oncologist. Overcoming health care system and patient navigation barriers in developing countries may reduce the time for breast cancer patients to reach a cancer center for early management.
KW - Breast cancer
KW - Developing countries
KW - Egypt
KW - Medical care
KW - Patient navigation
KW - Referral
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U2 - 10.1016/j.breast.2011.07.001
DO - 10.1016/j.breast.2011.07.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 21807518
AN - SCOPUS:82955162714
SN - 0960-9776
VL - 20
SP - 555
EP - 561
JO - Breast
JF - Breast
IS - 6
ER -