Factors Associated with Delay between Diagnosis and Initiation of Breast Cancer Treatment: a Cohort Study with 204,130 Cases in Brazil

Abstract

Breast cancer is considered a public health problem with an increasing incidence worldwide. Several factors contribute to late diagnosis and hinder the initiation of the treatment, resulting in a worse prognosis. Objectives: To analyze the time interval between diagnosis and the beginning of the first oncologic treatment in the Brazilian population, in addition to assessing the factors associated with the longest time intervals. Method: Retrospective cohort study with 540,529 patients registered in the Hospital Cancer Registry System (SisRHC) from 2000 to 2017. The outcome was the time between diagnosis and the beginning of the first oncologic treatment, considering the interval greater than 60 days as delay. Descriptive analysis and simple logistic regression were performed (95% CI; p <0.05) to analyze the variables. Results: 204,130 cases were analyzed, mean age of 55.8 years (± 13.24), predominantly females (99.1%), 55.1% were from the southeast region and 71% lived in non-capital cities. The median of the time interval between diagnosis and the beginning of the first oncologic treatment was 63 days (interquartile range = 36-109). Sociodemographic, clinical and treatment-related variables affect the time interval, except the gender variable. Conclusion: The time between diagnosis and the beginning of the first oncologic treatment was high. Sociodemographic, clinical and treatment-related factors influence time intervals. Their early identification can contribute to guide the actions toward these most vulnerable groups to delay.