Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30496219›Full record

ArticlePloS one2018

Factors associated with time to first healthcare visit, diagnosis and treatment, and their impact on survival among breast cancer patients in Mali.

Kirstin Grosse Frie, Bakarou Kamaté, Cheick Boudagari Traoré, Madani Ly, Brahima Mallé, Bourama Coulibaly, Andreas Wienke, Eva Johanna Kantelhardt

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
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

39 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Observational
  6. Article
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  10. Late-Stage Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in Ghana: Needs for Patient and Public Education.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2025
    Article
  11. Anticipated First Contact and Time to Seek Healthcare for Possible Breast Cancer Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rural Ghana.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 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

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Kirstin Grosse FrieInstitute for Medical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Informatics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8868-7131
Bakarou KamatéInstitut of Pathology, University Hospital Point G, Bamako, Mali.
Cheick Boudagari TraoréInstitut of Pathology, University Hospital Point G, Bamako, Mali.
Madani LyOncology Department, Hôpital Luxemburg, Bamako, Mali.
Brahima MalléInstitut of Pathology, University Hospital Point G, Bamako, Mali.
Bourama CoulibalyInstitut of Pathology, University Hospital Point G, Bamako, Mali.
Andreas WienkeInstitute for Medical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Informatics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Eva Johanna KantelhardtInstitute for Medical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Informatics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
University of Bamako · MLMartin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg · DEUniversity Hospital in Halle · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo analyse patient and healthcare system related factors influencing the time to first healthcare visit, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa and the impact on survival in order to advise on early detection strategies.

methodsA prospective hospital cohort study was conducted at the only pathology department in Mali, at the University Hospital in Bamako. All the female patients with a breast cancer diagnosis between January and April 2016 were interviewed with a structured questionnaire (N = 64) to gather information about breast symptom recognition and first healthcare visit. Information on beginning of treatment and survival were collected at 18-months follow-up. Simple Cox regression analyses were performed.

resultsThe median time to first healthcare visit was 4.8 months, from first healthcare visit to diagnosis was 0.9 months and for the patients who started treatment (N = 46) the time from diagnosis to treatment was 1.3 months. Knowledge of breast-self-examination and correct symptom interpretation increased the chance of an earlier healthcare visit. Prolonged time to diagnosis was found with shorter duration to first healthcare visit, for working women compared to housewives and for those living within Bamako. Living outside Bamako and smaller tumour size (T1/T2) prolonged time to treatment. Visit of a traditional healer and larger tumour size (T3/T4) shortened survival time, whereas time to first healthcare visit and subsequent time to diagnosis had no influence on survival.

conclusionsDown-staging strategies are only useful if the continuum of breast cancer care is warranted for the majority of patients.

Indexed as

AdultAgedBreast NeoplasmsBreast Self-ExaminationCohort StudiesEarly Detection of CancerFemaleHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansMaliMiddle AgedProspective StudiesReferral and ConsultationRegression AnalysisSurveys and QuestionnairesTime Factors

Identifiers

PMID30496219
PMCPMC6264812
OpenAlexW2903057056

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.