Patient delay and associated factors among Chinese women with breast cancer: A cross-sectional study

To examine the current situation of patient delay and to identify factors associated with patient delay among women with breast cancer in China. A total of 283 women, aged 23 to 83 years old and with histologically confirmed breast cancer, were investigated in this cross-sectional study. The women were recruited from seven selected hospitals in Sichuan Province, China. Face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire were performed. Among the 283 participants, the range of patient delay was 0.2 to 900 days with a median patient delay of 50 days. A total of 35.8% of patients waited ≥90 days to access medical treatment after symptom onset. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the main predictors of patient delay were knowledge of breast cancer symptoms (OR = 0.716, 95%CI:0.637–0.804, P = .000), external health locus of control (OR = 1.173, 95%CI:1.087–1.266, P = .000), breast self-examination/physical examination (OR = 0.065, 95%CI: 0.007–0.590, P = .015), perceived health competence (OR = 0.873, 95%CI:0.808–0.944, P = .000), family support (OR = 0.911,95%CI:0.847–0.981, P = .013), pain stimulation (OR = 0.191, 95%CI:0.046–0.792, P = .023) and age (OR = 1.028, 95%CI:1.000–1.058, P = .049). These factors explained 41.0% of the variance. Information on the current situation and predictors of patient delay in Chinese women with breast cancer might provide meaning insights into the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The results of this study may help health professionals develop specific clinical practice strategies to reduce patient delay of initial treatment as a way to improve outcomes for women with breast cancer.