Waiting Time between Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Brazilian Women: An Analysis of Cases from 1998 to 2012
Open Access
- 4 June 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 17 (11), 4030
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17114030
Abstract
Brazilian law requires that treatment for breast cancer begin within 60 days of diagnosis. This waiting time is an indicator of accessibility to health services. The aim of this study was to analyze which factors are associated with waiting times between diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in women in Brazil between 1998 and 2012. Information from Brazilian women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1998 and 2012 was collected through the Hospital Registry of Cancer (HRC), developed by the National Cancer Institute (INCA). We performed a secondary data analysis, and found that the majority of women (81.3%) waited for ≤60 days to start treatment after being diagnosed. Those referred by the public health system, aged ≥50 years, of nonwhite race, diagnosed at stage I or II, and with low levels of education waited longer for treatment to start. We observed that only 18.7% experienced a delay in starting treatment, which is a positive reflection of the quality of the care network for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. We also observed inequalities in access to health services related to age, region of residence, stage of the disease, race, and origin of referral to the health service.This publication has 21 references indexed in Scilit:
- Outcome of Patients With Breast Cancer Treated in a Private Health Care Institution in BrazilJournal of Global Oncology, 2018
- Association between primary care coverage and breast cancer mortality in BrazilPLOS ONE, 2018
- Treatment delays among women with breast cancer in a low socio-economic status region in BrazilBMC Women's Health, 2017
- Effect of care-delivery delay on the survival of Mexican women with breast cancerSalud Publica de Mexico, 2016
- Patient delays and system delays in breast cancer treatment in developed and developing countries.Ciencia & Saude Coletiva, 2015
- Adjuvant treatment delay in breast cancer patientsRevista da Associação Médica Brasileira, 2015
- Reasons for Patient's Delay in Diagnosis of Breast Carcinoma in PakistanAsian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2013
- Identifying women at risk for delayed presentation of breast cancer: a cross-sectional study in EstoniaBMC Public Health, 2013
- Narrowing racial gaps in breast cancer chemotherapy initiation: the role of the patient–provider relationshipBreast Cancer Research and Treatment, 2013
- Patient and Process Factors Associated with Late-Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis in Safety-Net Patients: A Pilot Prospective StudyAnnals of Surgical Oncology, 2012