ArticleBMJ open2021
Knowledge of symptoms, time to presentation and barriers to medical help-seeking among Omani women diagnosed with breast cancer: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluation of a student-led breast cancer awareness campaign as a co-curricular model in pharmacy education: a mixed-methods study in the UAE.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Cultural Beliefs and Attitudes About Breast Cancer and Screening Practices Among Women in Qatar, Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Review
- Delays in follow-up among women with abnormal results: a retrospective study based on population-based breast cancer screening programme in China.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Article
- The Correlation of Social Support and Fear of Breast Cancer among Women in Northeast of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of community based nursing and midwifery · 2023Article
- Effectiveness of an Educational Program on Awareness of Breast Cancer Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Barriers to Seeking Medical Help among Adolescent Omani School Students-An Interventional Study.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2023Article
- The Unmet Supportive Care Needs of Omani Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer.Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2022Article
- A qualitative exploration of women's perspectives and acceptability of including new cancer awareness information in all-clear breast or cervical screening results.European journal of cancer care · 2022Article
- High Number of Familial Breast Cancer Cases in the Arabian Gulf Countries: Investigating the Reasons.Breast cancer : basic and clinical research · 2022Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveTo identify knowledge of breast cancer (BC) symptoms, time taken to consult a doctor and factors contributing to delays in medical help-seeking.
designA cross-sectional study of Omani women diagnosed with BC.
settingThe two main teaching hospitals in Oman: Royal Hospital and Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.
participantsAdult Omani women recently diagnosed with BC. TOOLS: The Breast Module of the Cancer Awareness Measure and the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership questionnaire were used to collect data.
resultsA total of 300 women with BC participated (response rate: 91.0%). The mean age at diagnosis was 43.0±12.50 years and 33.5% were diagnosed at stage III or IV. Although most women (74.4%) recognised breast/armpit lumps to be a symptom of BC, less than half identified other symptoms, including breast/armpit pain (44.0%), changes in the position of the nipple (36.2%), redness (31.7%), fatigue (26.3%), weight loss (23.4%) and loss of appetite (20.8%). While most (91.6%) were aware that BC could be cured if detected early, only 66.4% sought medical help within a month of developing symptoms. Initial responses to symptoms included informing husbands (40.2%) or family members (36.5%). Barriers to seeking medical help included feeling scared (68.9%) and worried about what the doctor might find (62.8%). Highly educated women were more likely to recognise the following as BC symptoms: changes in nipple position (OR: 0.16, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.81), breast pain (OR: 0.10, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.86) and unexplained weight loss (OR: 0.18, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.88) (all p<0.05).
conclusionsAlthough many Omani women with BC were aware of the importance of early diagnosis, most demonstrated inadequate knowledge of symptoms, did not prioritise seeking medical help and reported emotional barriers to help-seeking. More educational measures are needed to improve symptom recognition and address help-seeking barriers to minimise delays in diagnosis.
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