UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: To know the reasons of poor outcome in cancer patients in developing countries since poverty, illiteracy & lack of health education are believed to be reasons for late presentation of cancer patients but increasing cancer awareness through media &other campaigns still could not change the scenario.

Methods: 1004 cancer patients evaluated through set of questionnaire and records to know various levels of delay in cancer management and factors responsible for delay at these levels.

Results: Most of the patients belong to the low socioeconomic group (88%) as well as had poor literacy level (82%). 74.7% had no awareness about cancer still 67.3 % patients presented to their physicians within one month of onset of the symptoms without any delay. In 68.4% patients the diagnosis of cancer was delayed by more than one month once they presented and physicians were responsible for this delay in 60.4 % patients. There were 43.6% unqualified medical practitioners, 8.6% qualified non-medical practitioners and 47.8% qualified medical practitioners working as primary care physicians in health care system. Though unqualified physicians almost never diagnosed the cancer in the symptomatic cancer patients but even 58% of the qualified medical physicians delayed the diagnosis of cancer. The delay in cancer management occurs mainly at diagnosis level and physicians themselves are responsible for this delay in cancer due to poor oncology knowledge and clinical acumen. Therefore resources should be utilized for oncology training for primary care physicians rather than public education.