Stages of delay in oral cancer care evaluated at a tertiary health centre

Abstract

To examine the stages of delay in presentation and management of oral cancer patients at University College Hospital Ibadan and compare findings with previous studies.A 20-year retrospective analysis of the delay stages among oral cancer patients that utilized patient's biodata and clinical data.169 oral cancer cases consisting of 127 carcinomas, 25 sarcomas and 17 lymphomas were analyzed. There was significant difference in the mean evolution time (ET) according to histological type (oral carcinoma = 282.8 +/- 414, oral sarcomas = 219.2 +/- 247.3 and oral lymphomas 105.5 +/- 115 days; p = 0.001). Patient's delay was more than professional delay for all cancer types (65.9%, 59.1% and 60.1% for carcinomas, sarcomas and lymphomas respectively). There was a significant difference in the mean ET of the early stage cancers compared with the late stage cancers (mean = 137.2 +/- 99 and 266.4 +/- 355; p = 0.010).A combination of patients and professional delay negatively influenced the management of oral cancer patients but the patient's delay formed the bulk of this combination in our center.