World Journal of Oncology, ISSN 1920-4531 print, 1920-454X online, Open Access
Article copyright, the authors; Journal compilation copyright, World J Oncol and Elmer Press Inc
Journal website https://wjon.elmerpub.com

Original Article

Volume 17, Number 4, August 2026, pages 454-462

Direct and Indirect Associations of Sociodemographic Factors and Patient-Perceived Barriers With Delayed Breast Cancer Presentation: A Cross-Sectional Path Analysis

Figures

↓  Figure 1. Hypothesized pathways between sociodemographic variables and presentation delay. White boxes represent sociodemographic variables, light gray boxes represent patient-perceived barrier mediators, and the dark gray box represents presentation delay of more than 3 months.
Figure 1.
↓  Figure 2. Path analysis for the relationship sociodemographic variables and presentation delay. aP < 0.05; bP < 0.01; cP < 0.001.
Figure 2.

Table

↓  Table 1. Study Characteristics (N = 150)
 
VariablesFrequency (%)
CAM: complementary and alternative medicines; max: maximum; min: minimum; SD: standard deviation.
Age (mean ± SD)53.2 ± 9.0
  ≤ 60 years121 (80.7)
  > 60 years29 (19.3)
Monthly income
  < 3 million Rupiah105 (70)
  > 3 million Rupiah45 (30)
Educational attainment
  Senior high school to higher degree86 (57.3)
  No formal education to junior high school64 (42.7)
Marital status
  Married125 (83.3)
  Single/widowed/divorced25 (16.7)
Presentation interval (median, min–max, in days)61 (0–8,378)
Presentation delay
  ≤ 3 months83 (55.3)
  > 3 months67 (44.7)
Patient-perceived barriers
  Sought female physician2 (1.3)
  Fear of cost4 (2.7)
  Sought CAM6 (4.0)
  Fear of diagnosis6 (4.0)
  Fear of doctor/health facility visit7 (4.7)
  Perceived busyness17 (11.3)
  Fear of surgery23 (15.3)
  Symptom minimization34 (22.7)
  Painless symptom43 (28.7)