Abstract
This study aimed to examine the extent and determinants of patient and general practitioner delay in the presentation of breast cancer. One hundred and eighty-five cancer patients attending a breast unit were interviewed 2 months after diagnosis. The main outcome measures were patient delay in presentation to the general practitioner and non-referral by the general practitioner to hospital after the patient's first visit. Nineteen per cent of patients delayed > or = 12 weeks. Patient delay was related to clinical tumour size > or = 4 cm (P = 0.0002) and with a higher incidence of locally advanced and metastatic disease (P = 0.01). A number of factors predicted patient delay: initial breast symptom(s) that did not include a lump (OR 4.5, P = 0.003), not disclosing discovery of the breast symptom immediately to someone else (OR 6.0, P < 0.001), seeking help only after being prompted by others (OR 4.4, P = 0.007) and presenting to the general practitioner with a non-breast problem (OR 3.5, P = 0.03). Eighty-three per cent of patients were referred to hospital directly after their first general practitioner visit. Presenting to the GP with a breast symptom that did not include a lump independently predicted general practitioner delay (OR 3.6, P = 0.002). In view of the increasing evidence that delay adversely affects survival, a large multicentre study is now warranted to confirm these findings that may have implications for public and medical education.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Burgess, C., Ramirez, A., Richards, M. et al. Who and what influences delayed presentation in breast cancer?. Br J Cancer 77, 1343–1348 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1998.224
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1998.224
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Individual and area level factors associated with the breast cancer diagnostic-treatment interval in Queensland, Australia
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment (2024)
-
Delayed cancer diagnosis in the pregnant patient: navigating a complex medical and ethical dilemma
Abdominal Radiology (2023)
-
Factors associated with delay in seeking care for breast symptoms
BMC Women's Health (2022)
-
Gaps in Providers’ Knowledge Delays Gastric Cancer Diagnosis
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery (2022)
-
Potential factors associated with clinical stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma at diagnosis: a case–control study
Chinese Journal of Cancer (2017)