Step 1
Factors Delaying the Diagnosis of Cancer in Children
During the period of the present study (19992000), interview questionnaire including: patient's
age; number of sibLings as well as his order among them; Level of education of patients' parents and
‫عنوان الوثيقة‬
Document (
)Title
‫المستخلص‬
)Abstract(
the chief complaint was administered to L50 patients and their families attending pediatric oncology
clinic of KAAH & OC, Jeddah, KSA. Fifty nine percent of patients were younger than 5 years old
and 66% were males. Seventy-three percent of patients' parents were illiterate and only 17% of them
were colleague graduate. The chief complaint was fever and/or fatigue in 63 patients (42%), mass in
abdomen, Lump in the neck in 21% and 18.5%, respectively. Patients included in the current study
had leukemias and lymphomas (45%), as well as soLid tumor (45%). For the purpose of the present
study, delayed diagnosis means an interval of more than 3 weeks between the first appearance of
symptoms or signs and the diagnosis. Only 41 patients (27%) were diagnosed within the first 3 weeks
of onset of symptoms. The majority of our patients (73%) experienced delay in diagnosis. Physicians
were the cause for the delay in diagnosis (professional delay) in 55 patients 50.5%. While patients'
parents delayed the consultation with a physician in 13.9% (28 cases). Both patient and professional
delay were found in 23 cases (21 %). The professional deLay was more important and for a longer
mean period of delay than patient delay (7[.5% 9.6 weeks and 49.5%, 6.8 weeks, respectively), These
differences are statistically significant (17<0.00 L). In an attempt to identify the possible
clinicopathologic characteristics that affect the delay
in diagnosis, the data of patients diagnosed with delay were compared with those diagnosed without
delay. The level of education of patients' parents, the chief complaint and the type of malignancy
significantly affected the time of diagnosis. Patients with leukemia and lymphomas, complaining of
fever and/or fatigue and those whose parents are illiterate were diagnosed later than other groups,
while patients, complaining Of mass in the abdomen and those whose parents are well educated were
diagnosed earlier than the other groups (17<0.001).
Key words: Childhood cancer-Delayed diagnosis.
1110-5607
Med.1. Cairo Univ
)ISSN( ‫ردمد‬
‫اسم الدورية‬
)Journal Name(
71
)Volume( ‫المجلد‬
2
60 ‫إلى‬
‫العدد‬
)Issue Number(
2003
‫سنة النشر‬
Publishing (
)Year
55 : ‫من‬
‫الصفحات‬
)Pages(
Step 2
‫ محمود شاهين‬: )‫(ع‬
Mahmoud Shahin: )E(
‫ االحول‬: )‫(ع‬
Elahwal: )E(
‫جامعة الملك عبد العزيز‬
‫االسم األول للباحث‬
First name of the
researcher
‫االسم األخير للباحث‬
Last name of the
researcher
‫العنوان‬
)Address)
‫االيميل‬
) E-mail (
Step3
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