Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26114875›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2015

Characteristics of the Delayed or Refusal Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study in Taiwan.

Su Jing Chen, Pei-Tseng Kung, Kuang Hua Huang, Yueh-Hsin Wang, Wen-Chen Tsai

Abstract readClinical TrialMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Demographic Disparities and Factors Influencing Cancer Treatment Decision-Making.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Su Jing ChenDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Pharmacy, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Pei-Tseng KungDepartment of Healthcare Administration, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Kuang Hua HuangDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Yueh-Hsin WangDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Wen-Chen TsaiDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe evidence indicated breast cancer was a cancer with high survival rate. However, there were still some breast cancer patients delaying or refusing therapy. So we conducted a cohort study to explore the relationship between characteristics of breast cancer patients and delay or refusal of therapy within four months after cancer diagnosed.

methodsThis was a retrospective national population-based study from 2004 to 2010 in Taiwan. This study included 35,095 patients with new diagnosis breast cancer from Taiwan Cancer Registry Database. Several analysis methods, including t test, Chi-square test, generalized estimating equations of logistic regression analysis, and Cox proportional hazards model, were performed to explore the characteristics of these patients and the relative risk of mortality with delay or refusal of therapy.

resultsOur study showed that the overall survival rates were significantly different (p <0.05) between the breast cancer patients who delayed or refused therapy and those with treatment. The patients who delayed or refused therapy had lower 5-year overall survival rate compared with the treated group. The related factors included age, Charlson comorbidity index, cancer staging (OR = 1.30-19.69; p <0.05), other catastrophic illnesses or injuries and the level of diagnostic hospitals. However, the patients with different income levels and degree of urbanization in living area were not statistically significant factors.

conclusionOur results demonstrated that age and cancer staging were the main patient characteristics affecting whether the patients delayed or refused therapy. The delay or refusal of treatment was associated with the level of diagnosing hospital.

Indexed as

RegistriesTreatment RefusalAdultAgedBreast NeoplasmsDisease-Free SurvivalFemaleHumansMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsRetrospective StudiesSurvival RateTaiwan

Identifiers

PMID26114875
PMCPMC4482743

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.