Barriers for Early Detection of Breast Cancer among South Indian Women

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most common neoplasms in women across the world. Early diagnosis of breast cancer results in reduced morbidity, mortality, and improved quality of life. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to identify the barriers among Indian women diagnosed with breast cancer in an advanced stage. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital, Southern India, among breast cancer patients. A total of 202 women with breast cancer (Stage 3 and 4) were recruited based on the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data were collected using a demographic proforma and barrier checklist and analyzed using SPSS 16.0 version. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was 51.5 ± 10.7 years. The majority of them were Hindu (87.6%), housewives (69.8%), with primary education (39.6%). The women have cited several barriers including financial (54.5%), lack of knowledge about breast cancer (49.5%), frightened about diagnostic test result (56.9%), afraid of anticipated surgery (54.5%), and the dearth of accessibility to health resources (52%). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of barriers in early diagnosis of breast cancer occurs in various contexts and should be recognized and minimized by all health-care providers to reduce the associated health-care cost, morbidity, and mortality.