Sivaraman Ganesan|Sivanesan Sivagnanganesan|Mahalakshmy Thulasingam|Gunaseelan Karunanithi|Kalaiarasi Raja|S. Ravichandran|Sunil Saxena|Karthikeyan Ramasamy
Diagnostic delay for head and neck cancer in South India: A Mixed-methods Study.
Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research|Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research|Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research|Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research|Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research|Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research|Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research|Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research
background early diagnosis important aspect quality cancer careanalysis diagnostic delays reasons delay helps plan strategies improve cancer care objectives determine primary secondary total diagnostic delay patients diagnosed head neck cancer explore reasons delay patient perspective methods explanatory mixed method design used two hundred persons confirmed diagnosis head neck cancer attending ent ear nose throat cancer clinic teaching hospital initiation treatment included study median delay association delay various factors analyzed sixteen onetoone interviews patients done identify reasons delays patient perspective results median primary secondary total diagnostic delays 30 days 30 days 73 days respectively statistically primary delay found significantly longer among ever users smokeless tobacco significantly longer secondary delay found among age less 60 years reasons delay grouped categories symptom appraisal delay due low perceived seriousness ii healthseeking behavior delay conclusions diagnostic delay considerable measures enhance symptom appraisal improving health literacy opportunistic screening strengthening referral system would decrease diagnostic delay