odmj
OncoDaily Medical Journal
ODMJ
3067-6444
OncoDaily Medical Journal
US
7795
10.69690/ODMJ-002-0826-7795
Reviews
Late presentation in cancer care: Implications for treatment and survival: A Narrative Review
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4522-3433
Adenike
Adeniyi Victoria
Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria
victoria.adeniyi@uniosun.edu.ng
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9550-2083
Damilola
Akinwale Oladayo
Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria
Temitope
Abioye Kehinde
Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria
Omobobola
Akinsola Iseoluwa
Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria
Hannah
Adewale-Aluko Aderonke
Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria
Olamide
Owolabi Aisha
Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria
26
08
2026
ODMJ-002-0826-7795
Copyright (c) 2026 OncoDaily Medical Journal
2026
OncoDaily Medical Journal
Cancer Care
Cancer prevention
Cancer Survival
Early Detection
Late Presentation
low and middle-income countries
narrative review
Psychological Factors
Socioeconomic Challenges
production-ready-file-url
[
Ngoma TA, Ngoma M. Global burden of cancer: prevalence, pattern, and trends. In: Haring R, Kickbusch I, Ganten D, et al., editors. Handbook of Global Health. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2021. p. 459-494.
]
[
Chandraprasad MS, Dey A, Swamy MK. Introduction to cancer and treatment approaches. In: Paclitaxel. Academic Press; 2022. p. 1-27.
]
[
Kumar A, Vashist H, Sharma RB, et al. An anthology of cancer. Innovat Int J Med Pharm Sci. 2018;3(4):7-14.
]
[
Janabi S, Gharaibeh L, Aldeeb I, et al. Quality of life assessment of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Jordan: a cross-sectional study. Int J Breast Cancer. 2025;2025(1):9936131.
]
[
Chasty B, Berman R, Ahamed A, et al. Palliative radiotherapy at the crossroads of supportive oncology: addressing global gaps, guideline deficits, and the expanding need for symptom-directed cancer care. Cancers (Basel). 2026 Feb 9;18(4):564.
]
[
Akinniyi TA, Folorunso SA, Ayodele SO, et al. Challenges and strategic responses to head and neck cancer care in Nigeria, West African subregion: a narrative review. Niger J Med. 2025;34(4):211-7.
]
[
Kolawole VO, Iyiola S. Advances in the diagnosis of breast cancer: a mini review. SJMLS. 2025;10(2).
]
[
Schoonbeek RC, de Vries J, Bras L, et al. The effect of treatment delay on quality of life and overall survival in head and neck cancer patients. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2022;31(4):e13589.
]
[
Srinath A, van Merode F, Rao SV, et al. Barriers to cervical cancer and breast cancer screening uptake in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review. Health Policy Plan. 2023;38(4):509-27.
]
[
Koo MM, Hamilton W, Walter FM, et al. Symptom signatures and diagnostic timeliness in cancer patients: a review of current evidence. Neoplasia. 2018;20(2):165-74.
]
[
World Health Organization. Global breast cancer initiative implementation framework: assessing, strengthening and scaling-up of services for the early detection and management of breast cancer. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023 Mar 7.
]
[
Jedy-Agba E. Breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa: determinants of stage at diagnosis and diagnostic delays in women with symptomatic breast cancer [doctoral dissertation]. London: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; 2023.
]
[
Barrios CH. Global challenges in breast cancer detection and treatment. Breast. 2022;62:S3-6.
]
[
Mathan SV, Rajput M, Singh RP. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer. In: Understanding Cancer. Academic Press; 2022. p. 217-236.
]
[
Numico G, Zanelli C, Ippoliti R, et al. The hospital care of patients with cancer: a retrospective analysis of the characteristics of their hospital stay in comparison with other medical conditions. Eur J Cancer. 2020;139:99-106.
]
[
Michael N, Beale G, O’Callaghan C, et al. Timing of palliative care referral and aggressive cancer care toward the end-of-life in pancreatic cancer: a retrospective, single-center observational study. BMC Palliat Care. 2019;18(1):13.
]
[
Muralidharan S, Gore M, Katkuri S. Cancer care and economic burden—a narrative review. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2023;12(12):3042-7.
]
[
Hawkes N. Cancer survival data emphasise importance of early diagnosis. BMJ. 2019;365:l408.
]
[
Steeg PS. Targeting metastasis. Nat Rev Cancer. 2016;16(4):201-18.
]
[
Hanna TP, King WD, Thibodeau S, et al. Mortality due to cancer treatment delay: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2020;371:m4087.
]
[
Haque M, Islam T, Rahman NA, et al. Strengthening primary health-care services to help prevent and control long-term (chronic) non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2020;13:409-26.
]
[
Wu Z, Xia F, Lin R. Global burden of cancer and associated risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1980-2021: a systematic analysis for the GBD 2021. J Hematol Oncol. 2024;17(1):145.
]
[
Freihat O, Sipos D, Kovács Á. Global burden and projections of breast cancer incidence and mortality to 2050: a comprehensive analysis of GLOBOCAN data. Front Public Health. 2025.
]
[
Singh A. Global burden of five major types of gastrointestinal cancer. Gastroenterol Rev (Otw). 2024;19(3):236-54.
]
[
Li C, Lei S, Ding L, et al. Global burden and trends of lung cancer incidence and mortality. Chin Med J (Engl). 2022;135(3):237-244.
]
[
Saka-Herrán C, Jané-Salas E, Marí-Roig A, et al. Time-to-treatment in oral cancer: causes and implications for survival. Cancers (Basel). 2021;13(5):1160.
]
[
Aguiar-Ibáñez R, Mbous Y, Sharma S, et al. Assessing the clinical, humanistic, and economic impact of early cancer diagnosis: a systematic literature review. Front Oncol. 2025.
]
[
Alencar MC, Alonso R. 14 Palliative care and cancer. In: Palliative Care Nursing: Quality Care to the End of Life. 2026 Apr 7.
]
[
Hubbell E, Clarke CA, Aravanis AM, et al. Modeled reductions in late-stage cancer with a multi-cancer early detection test. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020;29(11):2414-2423.
]
[
Tesfaw A, Alebachew W, Tiruneh M. Why women with breast cancer presented late to health care facility in North-west Ethiopia? A qualitative study. PLoS One. 2020;15(12).
]
[
Agbedinu K, Antwi S, Aduse-Poku L, et al. A scoping review on barriers to cancer diagnosis and care in low-and middle-income countries. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025;34(7):1066-1073.
]
[
Tesfaw A, Demis S, Munye T, et al. Patient delay and contributing factors among breast cancer patients at two cancer referral centres in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2020:1391-1401.
]
[
Begum D, Bassetty KC, Barmon D, et al. Determinants of delay in presentation to completion of treatment in cervical cancer. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):41329.
]
[
Lalango F, Kabagenyi F, Seguya A, et al. A descriptive study on diagnostic timelines, and factors influencing delayed diagnosis among head and neck cancer patients at Uganda Cancer Institute. 2024.
]
[
Boyd M, Rezaeiahari M, Schootman M, et al. Delay in breast cancer surgery: evaluating patient, healthcare access, and social vulnerability predictors. Cancer Causes Control. 2026;37(3):49.
]
[
Gyeltshen T, et al. Factors influencing presentation delay among cancer patients: a cross-sectional study in Malaysia. BMC Public Health. 2024;24:1260.
]
[
Macleod U, Mitchell ED, Burgess C, et al. Risk factors for delayed presentation and referral of symptomatic cancer: evidence for common cancers. Br J Cancer. 2009;101(2).
]
[
Jin Y, Zheng MC, Yang X, et al. The impact of stigma on patient delay in colorectal cancer: a qualitative study from the perspectives of patients and family members. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2026:103205.
]
[
Ropeik D. Curing Cancerphobia: How Risk, Fear, and Worry Mislead Us. JHU Press; 2023.
]
[
Patierno C, Fava GA, Carrozzino D. Illness denial in medical disorders: a systematic review. Psychother Psychosom. 2023;92(4):211-226.
]
[
Mwaka AD, Achan J, Adoch W, et al. From their own perspectives: a qualitative study exploring the perceptions of traditional health practitioners in northern Uganda regarding cancers, their causes and treatments. BMC Fam Pract. 2021;22(1):155.
]
[
Obert HA, Yuniastuti A. Factors contributing to delayed diagnosis and use of complementary therapies in breast cancer patients in Asia: a systematic literature review. Asian J Health Sci. 2025;4(12):459-473.
]
[
Mohd Mujar NM, Dahlui M, Emran NA, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and delays in presentation and diagnosis of breast cancer patients in public hospitals in Malaysia. PLoS One. 2017;12(4).
]
[
Ginsburg O, Yip CH, Brooks A, et al. Breast cancer early detection: a phased approach to implementation. Cancer. 2020;126:2379-2393.
]
[
Getachew S, Tesfaw A, Kaba M, et al. Perceived barriers to early diagnosis of breast cancer in south and southwestern Ethiopia: a qualitative study. BMC Womens Health. 2020;20(1):38.
]
[
Ng CW, Lim JN, Liu J, et al. Presentation of breast cancer, help seeking behaviour and experience of patients in their cancer journey in Singapore: a qualitative study. BMC Cancer. 2020;20(1):1080.
]
[
Silbermann M, Berger MA. Global Perspectives in Cancer Care: Religion, Spirituality, and Cultural Diversity in Health and Healing. Oxford University Press; 2022.
]
[
Shams M, Abdallah S, Alsadoun L, et al. Oncological horizons: the synergy of medical and surgical innovations in cancer treatment. Cureus. 2023;15(11).
]
[
Zouzoulas D, Tsolakidis D, Karalis T, et al. The impact of delay from diagnosis to surgery in endometrial cancer. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2025;311(2):395-404.
]
[
Villemure-Poliquin N, Fu R, Gaebe K, et al. Delayed diagnosis to treatment interval (DTI) in head & neck cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Oral Oncol. 2025;160:107106.
]
[
Lauritzen BB, Jensen JS, Grønhøj C, et al. Impact of delay in diagnosis and treatment-initiation on disease stage and survival in oral cavity cancer: a systematic review. Acta Oncol. 2021;60(9):1083-1090.
]
[
Ungvari Z, Fekete M, Buda A, et al. Quantifying the impact of treatment delays on breast cancer survival outcomes: a comprehensive meta-analysis. GeroScience. 2025:1-5.
]
[
Olaogun JG, Agodirin OS, Idowu DB. Patient delay in initiating treatment after breast cancer diagnosis: a cause for concern. J Health Sci Res. 2024;9(2):55-59.
]
[
Sun Y, Zhang P, Zhang D. Impact of treatment delays on future survival outcomes in non-surgical patients with cancer in Shandong Province, China. Front Oncol. 2024.
]
[
Machado B, Barroso T, Godinho J. Impact of diagnostic and treatment delays on survival and treatment-related toxicities in Portuguese patients with head and neck cancer. Cureus. 2024;16(1).
]
[
Kibret AA, Jiang J, Woldetsadik ES, et al. Factors influencing time to treatment initiation for breast cancer in Ethiopia. Cancer Med. 2025;14(23).
]
[
Rudd P, Gorman D, Meja S, et al. Cervical cancer in southern Malawi: a prospective analysis of presentation, management, and outcomes. Malawi Med J. 2017;29(2):124.
]
[
Carreira H, Williams R, Dempsey H, et al. Quality of life and mental health in breast cancer survivors compared with non-cancer controls: a study of patient-reported outcomes in the United Kingdom. J Cancer Surviv. 2021;15(4):564-575.
]
[
Aguiar-Ibanez R, Mbous YP, Sharma S, et al. Clinical, humanistic and economic burden associated with recurrence among patients with early-stage cancers: a systematic literature review. Front Oncol. 2025;15:1575813.
]
[
Joshy G, Thandrayen J, Koczwara B, et al. Disability, psychological distress and quality of life in relation to cancer diagnosis and cancer type: population-based Australian study of 22,505 cancer survivors and 244,000 people without cancer. BMC Med. 2020;18(1):372.
]
[
Ryder-Burbidge C, Diaz RL, Barr RD, et al. The burden of late effects and related risk factors in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: a scoping review. Cancers (Basel). 2021;13(19):4870.
]
[
Mäkitie AA, Alabi RO, Pulkki-Råback L, et al. Psychological factors related to treatment outcomes in head and neck cancer. Adv Ther. 2024;41(9):3489-3519.
]
[
Atwiine B, Mdoka C, Branchard M, et al. Prevention of treatment abandonment remains an important challenge to increase survival of Wilms tumor in sub-Saharan Africa: a report from Wilms Africa—CANCaRe Africa. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2024;71(8).
]
[
Yuan R, Zhang C, Li Q, et al. The impact of marital status on stage at diagnosis and survival of female patients with breast and gynecologic cancers: a meta-analysis. Gynecol Oncol. 2021;162(3):778-787.
]
[
Schmidt ME, Goldschmidt S, Hermann S, et al. Late effects, long-term problems and unmet needs of cancer survivors. Int J Cancer. 2022;151(8):1280-1290.
]
[
Beames C, Adelson P, Sharplin G, et al. Primary care nurse’s role and educational preparedness in skin cancer screening and early detection: a scoping review. J Adv Nurs. 2024;80(6):2228-2251.
]
[
Hamid F, Roy T. Unveiling sociocultural barriers to breast cancer awareness among the South Asian population: case study of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. JMIR Hum Factors. 2025;12(1).
]
[
Habibullah S, Haider G, Ashraf J, et al. To determine the factors responsible for diagnostic delay of breast cancer among women. Pak J Med Res. 2016;55(3):62.
]
[
Güvenç S, Akduran F. Cancers frequently encountered in Türkiye and worldwide and the role of nurses in cancer prevention. Sakarya Univ J Holist Health. 2025;8(1):61-70.
]
[
Connal S, Cameron JM, Sala A, et al. Liquid biopsies: the future of cancer early detection. J Transl Med. 2023;21(1):118.
]
[
Mansour R, Abdel-Razeq H, Al-Hussaini M, et al. Systemic barriers to optimal cancer care in resource-limited countries: Jordanian healthcare as an example. Cancers (Basel). 2024;16(6):1117.
]
[
Doherty MJ, Thom B, Gany F. Evidence of the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of oncology financial navigation: a scoping review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2021;30(10):1778-1784.
]
[
Wheeler SB, Manning ML, Gellin M, et al. Impact of a comprehensive financial navigation intervention to reduce cancer-related financial toxicity. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2024;22(8):557-562.
]
[
Smith GL, Banegas MP, Acquati C, et al. Navigating financial toxicity in patients with cancer: a multidisciplinary management approach. CA Cancer J Clin. 2022;72(5):437-453.
]
[
Lopez AM. Telemedicine, telehealth, and e-health technologies in cancer prevention. In: Fundamentals of Cancer Prevention. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2019. p. 333-352.
]
[
Santos Salas A, Bassah N, Pujadas Botey A, et al. Interventions to improve access to cancer care in underserved populations in high income countries: a systematic review. Oncol Rev. 2024;18:1427441.
]
[
Miya TV, Marima RM, Marutha T, et al. Traditional medicine, environmental exposures, and cultural practices in cancer risk: insights from low-and middle-income countries. Front Oncol. 2025;15:1623895.
]
[
Nalongo Bina K. Healthcare accessibility and cultural barriers: why some cancer patients in Eastern Nigeria delay seeking medical treatment. 2025.
]
[
Ben-Arye E, Lopez G, Rassouli M, et al. Cross-cultural patient counseling and communication in the integrative medicine setting: respecting the patient’s health belief model of care. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2024;26(8):422-434.
]
[
Kyei GK, Kyei EK, Ansong R. Achieving cancer prevention equity: a policy analysis of American Cancer Society HPV vaccination guidelines. J Adv Nurs. 2026.
]
[
Omotoso O, Teibo JO, Atiba FA, et al. Addressing cancer care inequities in sub-Saharan Africa: current challenges and proposed solutions. Int J Equity Health. 2023;22(1):189.
]
[
Akinyemiju T, Ogunsina K, Gupta A, et al. A socio-ecological framework for cancer prevention in low and middle-income countries. Front Public Health. 2022;10:884678.
]