A delay in the therapy of a patient with cancer may be associated with a worse outcome. Shen et al identified risk factors for a delay in starting therapy for women with cervical cancer in Taiwan. The authors are from China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan.
Patient selection: woman with cervical cancer in Taiwan
A delay in starting conventional cancer therapy was defined as >= 4 months after the diagnosis was confirmed.
Risk factors for a delay in starting therapy:
(1) age >= 75 years of age (OR 2.4)
(2) stage IV (distant metastases; OR 2.6)
(3) severe comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index >= 4)
(4) hospital type (regional, district hospital)
(5) public hospital
where:
• The reference for hospital level was a medical center.
• The reference for hospital ownership was a private hospital.
The reasons for the delay need to be investigated.
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