TABLE 2.
Symptoms, diagnosis modality, barriers/reasons for the delay in seeking a medical care and delay in diagnosis and treatment
| n (%) | |
|---|---|
| N = 462 | |
| The first noticed symptoms in breast | |
| Lump or mass | 445 (96.3) |
| Pain or tenderness | 144 (31.7) |
| Nipple discharge | 30 (6.5) |
| Skin ulceration or rash | 11 (2.4) |
| Infection | 18 (3.9) |
| Skin dimpling | 18 (3.9) |
| Change size | 111 (24.0) |
| The number of symptoms noticed | |
| Only one | 250 (54.1) |
| Two | 146 (31.6) |
| Above two | 66 (14.3) |
| Circumstance of breast cancer detection | |
| Mammographic screening | 5 (1.1) |
| Routine health examination | 25 (5.4) |
| Self‐noticed systems/lump | 431 (93.4) |
| Visited a doctor right after the first noticed problems with breast | |
| Yes | 340 (73.5) |
| No | 122 (26.4) |
| N = 122 | |
| Barriers and reasons for the delay in seeking a medical care | |
| Financial and physical barriers | |
| Too busy (need time away from family/work) | 63 (51.6) |
| Cost/too expensive | 19 (15.6) |
| Hospital(s) is too far away (distance/transportation) | 17 (13.9) |
| Too sick to travel | 2 (1.6) |
| Any of above | 79 (64.8) |
| None of above | 43 (35.2) |
| Psychological barriers | |
| Sought of herbal or other alternative medicine treatment | 13 (10.7) |
| Confidential concerns | 9 (7.4) |
| Fear of doctor/hospital | 8 (6.6) |
| Fear of losing job | 1 (0.8) |
| Any of above | 23 (18.9) |
| None of above | 99 (81.1) |
| Lack of proper knowledge | |
| Unconcerned about symptoms | 42 (34.4) |
| N = 462 | |
| Total delay time (Median [IQR]; months) | 2.4 [1.1–7.1] |
| Seeking medical care after the first symptom recognition | 2.0 [0.9–5.4] |
| Postponed seeking medical care after the first symptom recognition | 5.5 [2.5–9.3] |
| Delay in diagnosis and treatment | |
| No delay (< 3 months) | 238 (51.5) |
| Moderate delay (3–8 months) | 143 (31.0) |
| Serious delay (≥9 months) | 81 (17.5) |
Abbreviation: IQR, interquartile range.