Abstract
Objective: Cancer has been one of the most critical health problems during the past decades which requires serious consideration, especially in developing countries. Methods: 80 parents of children with different types of cancers were studied via both questionnaire and person-to-person interviews after declaring their informed consent. Results: The highest delay in patients’ initial referral was due to the following factors: lack of attention or ignoring the first symptoms, delay in referring to the physician, low economic status and even lack of family support for the patient. In addition, visiting several doctors after the initial diagnosis, uncertainty about the first proposed method, and the high cost of treatment can be mentioned as the main causes of delays in the start of treatment. Conclusion: Education plays an important role in identifying the signs of cancer. In addition, proper relationship and cooperation between the health system and physicians as well as provision of adequate information to patients could lead to the long-term cooperation of these patients in continuing their treatment.
Highlights
Since the diagnosis and treatment of this disease in its early stages can reduce the related mortality rates and complications, and tangibly reduce the costs, this study attempts to investigate the factors affecting the patients’ initial delay in referring to physicians and proposes some solutions to tackle this problem and reduce its resultant impact.Cancer can be defined as the “uncontrollable growth of cells” and it is recognized as a major problem in human societies
Education plays an important role in identifying the signs of cancer
Proper relationship and cooperation between the health system and physicians as well as provision of adequate information to patients could lead to the long-term cooperation of these patients in continuing their treatment
Summary
Since the diagnosis and treatment of this disease in its early stages can reduce the related mortality rates and complications, and tangibly reduce the costs, this study attempts to investigate the factors affecting the patients’ initial delay in referring to physicians and proposes some solutions to tackle this problem and reduce its resultant impact. Cancer can be defined as the “uncontrollable growth of cells” and it is recognized as a major problem in human societies. It causes the highest mortality rate after heart disease [1]. It was Hippocrates (460-370 BC), the Greek physician who used the term “carsino” for the first time to refer to this disease. Cancer was identified as a problem for the health systems of developed countries; in the last decades; 1975 to 2012, its rate has been increasing in developing countries
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
