Soniya Dulal|Bishnu Dutta Paudel|Lori Wood|Prakash Raj Neupane|Aarati Shah|Bharat Sharma Acharya|Ramila Shilpakar|Sandhya Chapagain Acharya|Ambuj Karn|Bishal Poudel|Rameej Revanta Thapa|Albira Acharya|Michael G. Martin
Reliance on Self-Medication Increase Delays in Diagnosis and Management of GI Cancers: Results From Nepal
Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre|University of Kansas Medical Center|Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Bir Hospital|National Academy of Medical Sciences|Kathmandu University|West Cancer Center|University of Tennessee at Knoxville
purpose patients gi cancers nepal often present advanced disease poor outcomes purpose study determine time presentation diagnosis treatment gi cancer baseline factors may associated delays patients methods institutional review boardapproved study performed kathmandu nepal july 2018 june 2019 patients newly diagnosed gi cancers asked fill standardized questionnaire baseline factors residence literacy use selfmedication recorded patients asked report time first symptom presentation time primary care visit pathologic diagnosis time diagnosis surgery andor treatment baseline factors analyzed using 2tailed tests prism 80 graphpad la jolla ca determine whether factors associated longer time delays 3 intervals results cohort comprised 104 patients median age 535 years range 2277 years 615 men 462 upper gi cancers 837 presented stage iii iv disease median time presentation 150 days time diagnosis 220 days time treatment 50 days statistically significant difference time intervals upper lower gi cancers use selfmedication 885 factor associated longer time intervals presentation diagnosis treatment conclusion patients nepal long time intervals presentation diagnosis treatment gi cancer selfmedication led longer delays reasons selfmedication potential barriers explored future studies hopes improving outcomes