Identifying Factors Contributing to Delayed Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer: A Comprehensive Analysis

Kai Hong,1,&ast; Yan Liu,1,&ast; Hao Yin,2 Ke Huang,2 Xiao-Li Pu,1 Zhuan-Xu Zhu1 1Department of Gynaecology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, 442000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Obstetrics, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, 442000, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhuan-Xu Zhu, Email [email protected]: Ovarian cancer (OC) remains the deadliest gynecologic malignancy worldwide due to delayed diagnosis, recurrence, and drug resistance. This study aimed to identify key factors affecting delayed diagnosis in OC patients.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on OC patients treated at Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine from June 2023 to September 2023. Patients were categorized based on a three-months cut-off point for delayed diagnosis. Collected data included demographics, tumor incidence, and disease cognition. The analysis of variance and the chi-squared test was used for comparison between groups.Results: The significant differences were found in age, residence, education level, family income, family history of tumor, histology, FIGO stage, and tumor location between groups (P< 0.05). Multifactorial logistic regression analysis identified education level [odds ratio (OR) = 0.606; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.440, 0.833; P = 0.002], family history of tumor (OR = 0.462; 95% CI: 0.214, 0.997; P = 0.049), emotional barriers (OR = 1.332; 95% CI: 1.081, 1.642; P = 0.007), and practical barriers (OR = 2.964; 95% CI: 2.195, 4.004; P < 0.001) as risk factors for delayed diagnosis of OC.Conclusion: Patient cognition is crucial in OC diagnosis delay. Enhancing public awareness and understanding of OC is essential to eliminate fear and improve early diagnosis.Keywords: ovarian cancer, delayed diagnosis, disease awareness, emotional barriers