Understanding factors affecting advanced stage at diagnosis is vital to improve cancer outcomes and overall survival. We investigated the factors affecting later-stage cancer diagnosis.
Patients completed self-reported questionnaires. We collected cancer stage data from medical records review. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with later stage cancer at diagnosis by gender.
In total, 1,870 cancer patients were included in the study; 55.8% were men, 31.1% had more than one comorbid condition, and 63.5% had disabilities. About half of the patients were smokers, and drank alcohol, and 58.0% were diagnosed at an advanced stage. By cancer type, lung and liver cancers (both genders), prostate (men), colorectal, cervical, and thyroid cancer (women) were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, comorbidity (odds ratio [OR], 1.48 in men) and disability (OR, 1.64 in men and 1.52 in women) remained significantly associated with late-stage diagnosis.
In this nationwide study, using combined information from patients and medical records, we found that male patients with comorbidities or disabilities, and female patients with disabilities were more likely to have advanced stage cancer at diagnosis. Targeted approaches by cancer type and health conditions are recommended.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient factors such as knowledge, attitude, motivation, perception, socio-economic status and travel time to health facilities and assess how these factors affected patients’ decision to pursue cervical cancer screening with visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA).
A total of 80 women of childbearing age who visited Kenjeran and Balongsari Public Health Centers for health assessments were involved in this study. Patients who agreed to participate in the study underwent a verbal questionnaire to evaluate various factors.
Bivariate analysis concluded that knowledge, attitude, motivation, perception, socioeconomic status, and travel time to health facilities were significantly different between women who received VIA screening and women who did not receive VIA screening (
Knowledge, attitude, motivation, perception, socio-economic status, and travel time to health facilities appears to affect women’s’ decision to pursue cervical cancer screening with VIA, with the largest intake being the motivational factor.
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