Introduction
As majority of these cancers are only diagnosed at advanced stages, it has become the reason for increased mortality rates and poor prognosis affecting the quality of life of patients. The delay in cancer diagnosis especially among women may be attributed to various factors both from patients and the healthcare sector. This study thus aims to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature on the factors behind the delay in case detection, that are common and specific for both the cancers, the reasons for the delay and the average time duration and reasons for the delay.
Materials and methods
A systematic search was conducted over several databases to identify relevant peer-reviewed studies. From eligible studies, data were extracted to summarize, collate, appraise the quality and make a narrative account of the findings.
Results
Of 581 studies, 29 were reviewed which revealed the commonest factors for delay were patient (presentation delay) followed by the health provider and healthcare sector, and the average time duration of delay was 6 months. Reasons for delay in the presentation were misconception about the disease, perceived stigma and fear of cancer. Poor knowledge of general practitioners, misclassification of disease severity, and long waiting queues in public health facilities were the commonest reasons for healthcare sector delay.
Conclusion:
Disease awareness among healthy women followed by widespread screening and appropriate interpretation of early clinical presentation by healthcare providers can be improved to reduce delay in cancer diagnosis and ensure better prognosis and quality of life of patients.
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