title: Factors that influence treatment delay in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: A prospective study was performed of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC), distinguishing between colonic and rectal location, to determine the factors that may provoke a delay in the first treatment (DFT) provided.2749 patients diagnosed with CRC were studied. The study population was recruited between June 2010 and December 2012. DFT is defined as time elapsed between diagnosis and first treatment exceeding 30 days.Excessive treatment delay was recorded in 65.5% of the cases, and was more prevalent among rectal cancer patients. Independent predictor variables of DFT in colon cancer patients were a low level of education, small tumour, ex-smoker, asymptomatic at diagnosis and following the application of screening. Among rectal cancer patients, the corresponding factors were primary school education and being asymptomatic.We conclude that treatment delay in CRC patients is affected not only by clinicopathological factors, but also by sociocultural ones. Greater attention should be paid by the healthcare provider to social groups with less formal education, in order to optimise treatment attention.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zarcos-Pedrinaci
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-López
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Téllez
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivas-Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Oncología Médica, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rueda
authors.affiliation: Unit of Public Health, Hygiene and Environmental Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology and Legal Medicine, University of Valencia, CIBER-Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: María Manuela
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Morales Suarez-Varela
authors.affiliation: Public Health Unit, Distrito Sanitario Sevilla, Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Briones
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology and Cancer Screening, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baré
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Basurto, Bilbao, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastián, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sarasqueta
authors.affiliation: Area of Environmental Epidemiology and Cancer, National Epidemiology Centre, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Nerea Fernández
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: de Larrea
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo, Galdakao, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Urko
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Aguirre
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo, Galdakao, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas - REDISSEC, Spain.
authors.forename: Maximino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Redondo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D061665:Time-to-Treatment
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: cancer; colorectal; delay; education; treatment