A Systematic Review of Barriers to Breast Cancer Care in Developing Countries Resulting in Delayed Patient Presentation

Table 4

Qualitative synthesis of barriers-to-care utilizing good and fair studies.

Evidence strength	Barriers-to-care
	Personal	Sociocultural	Economic
Good (strong)	Unmarried, widowed, or divorced		Lower income status
	Positive family history		Lower education level
Fair (moderate)	Older age; Married; Negative family history; Clinical presentation: ulcer, lack of pain, palpable axillary lymph nodes	Alternative treatment use: other practitioners, prayer; Breast cancer awareness: failure to practice BSE, ignorance of symptoms as cancer; Fear of treatment	Rural residency; Health systems: lack of affiliation, lesser access to physicians