Delayed breast cancer presentation, diagnosis, and treatment in Kenya

In this mixed-methods study, we evaluated the factors that contribute to delayed breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and treatment at a Kenyan hospital. Individuals with a diagnosis of BC, either as a referral or index patient, were recruited to participate in this study through convenience sampling. Data were collected on sociodemographics, health history, and cancer history, diagnosis, and treatment of patients at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). For the quantitative analyses, the relationship between sociodemographic and health history factors with stage at diagnosis, number of visits before diagnosis, time to diagnosis, and time to initial intervention, stratified by time to onset of symptoms, were examined using regression analyses. For the qualitative analysis, in-depth interviews of every fifth patient were completed to assess reasons for delayed diagnosis and treatment. The final analytic sample comprised of 378 female BC patients with an average age of 50. These females were generally of lower SES: 49.2