Time from symptom recognition to cancer diagnosis and factors linked to delayed diagnosis of hematological childhood cancers at a tertiary hospital in uganda: a mixed methods study

The median time to diagnosis among pediatric cancer patients was prolonged, largely attributable to suboptimal caregiver health-seeking behaviors, limited awareness among both caregivers and healthcare providers, inadequate diagnostic capacity, and inefficient referral systems. Targeted interventions to address these barriers are essential to enhance timely diagnosis and initiation of treatment, thereby improving clinical outcomes for children with cancer.