Póvoa Larissa Stefhanne Damasceno de Amorim, Souza Daniele Assis, Verner Francielle Silvestre, Junqueira Rafael Binato, de Aquino Sibele Nascimento
Applied Health Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
DDS, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2025 Jan;139(1):64-72. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2024.08.024. Epub 2024 Sep 18.
This study aimed to explore coping strategies adopted by patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and investigate the reasons for delayed healthcare-seeking help STUDY DESIGN: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews based on the Semi-Structured Self-Regulatory Model (SRM) with participants diagnosed with advanced OSCC, between 2021 and 2023. The sample size was determined based on the saturation point. In this context, saturation refers to the point when no new issues emerge, signaling sufficient sample size. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using framework analysis.
The sample consisted of 15 patients, 13 male and 2 female, aged between 52 and 80 years (mean 64.5, SD ± 7.5). Four types of coping strategies causing delayed help-seeking emerged: 1) self-medication, 2) seeking medical appointments, 3) abandoning consultations (or treatment), and 4) consulting general dental practitioners. Participants believed that the disease could heal spontaneously and did not consider seeking health help immediately. Socio-economic factors and lack of knowledge on the part of healthcare professionals may have influenced the delay in the diagnosis CONCLUSION: Patients with advanced OSCC demonstrated inadequate disease awareness, oral cancer knowledge, misdiagnosis, and insufficient referrals to specialized treatments.
