Thomas Nishita Sarah, Norris Emma
Department of Health Sciences, Brunel University of London, Uxbridge, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Aug 15;25(1):2792. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-24132-x.
Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Breast cancer-related mortality has surged among Indian women, as a significant number of women present at an advanced stage of breast cancer. Early detection has been linked with a higher chance of survival and improved quality of life. This research aimed to assess breast cancer survivor stories of Indian women to identify: (i) why Indian women were diagnosed at an advanced stage of breast cancer, (ii) the barriers that contributed to their delayed diagnosis, and (iii) the level of awareness and perceptions towards breast cancer.
A qualitative approach using digital web-based methods was used. Existing blogs and YouTube videos were used as secondary data sources. "Breast cancer survivor blogs by Indian women" were searched on Google to identify blogs; and "Breast cancer survivor stories by Indian women" and "Interviews of breast cancer survivors among Indian women" were searched on YouTube to identify videos. 5 blogs and 12 YouTube videos including breast cancer survivor stories of Indian women were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
A total of 17 Indian breast cancer survivors aged 25-50 were included in this study. Four main themes and seven sub-themes emerged: Delay in recognising or responding to symptoms (sub-themes: lack of knowledge, misinterpretation of symptoms and procrastination), Initial medical misjudgement (sub-themes: dismissal of symptoms by doctors, false reassurance from medical tests), socio-cultural factors (sub-themes: family responsibilities and career responsibilities), and emotional and psychological factors.
This study highlights the complex barriers that contributed to delayed breast cancer diagnosis among Indian breast cancer survivors, through their own personal accounts. These findings highlight the need for enhanced public health education about breast cancer, improved healthcare professional training, and culturally sensitive support to improve early detection, which will ultimately reduce breast cancer mortality and improve the quality of life for Indian women.
在全球范围内，乳腺癌是女性中最常见的癌症，也是癌症相关死亡的第二大主要原因。在印度女性中，与乳腺癌相关的死亡率激增，因为大量女性在乳腺癌晚期才就诊。早期检测与更高的生存率和生活质量改善相关。本研究旨在评估印度女性乳腺癌幸存者的故事，以确定：（i）印度女性为何在乳腺癌晚期才被诊断，（ii）导致她们诊断延迟的障碍，以及（iii）对乳腺癌的认识水平和认知。
采用基于数字网络的定性方法。现有的博客和YouTube视频用作二手数据源。在谷歌上搜索“印度女性乳腺癌幸存者博客”以识别博客；在YouTube上搜索“印度女性乳腺癌幸存者故事”和“印度女性乳腺癌幸存者访谈”以识别视频。使用归纳主题分析法对5个博客和12个包括印度女性乳腺癌幸存者故事的YouTube视频进行了分析。
本研究共纳入了17名年龄在25至50岁之间的印度乳腺癌幸存者。出现了四个主要主题和七个子主题：对症状的认识或反应延迟（子主题：知识缺乏、症状误解和拖延）、初始医疗误判（子主题：医生对症状的忽视、医学检查的错误保证）、社会文化因素（子主题：家庭责任和职业责任）以及情感和心理因素。
本研究通过印度乳腺癌幸存者自己的亲身经历，突出了导致她们乳腺癌诊断延迟的复杂障碍。这些发现凸显了加强乳腺癌公共健康教育、改善医疗专业人员培训以及提供文化敏感支持以促进早期检测的必要性，这最终将降低印度女性的乳腺癌死亡率并改善其生活质量。
