Delays of breast cancer diagnosis among women in St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorNkutu, N.
dc.contributor.advisorMashau, F.
dc.contributor.authorMthinjwa, Mzameleni
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-21T06:56:37Z
dc.date.available2026-07-21T06:56:37Z
dc.date.issued2025-03-12
dc.descriptionMini dissertation
dc.description.abstractIntroduction: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among females worldwide. Breast cancer has the highest incidence among all cancers and is the leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide. Noticeably there are women diagnosed with breast cancer at the late stages., and those women have a low survival rate. Delayed diagnosis from the time a breast abnormality is detected to the time of definitive diagnosis; either by the patient or by a healthcare provider may contribute to the negative outcomes, as well as expensive treatment options and higher recurrence rates. The same problem has been identified at St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital in Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape Province. The aim and objectives: To assess factors contributing to delays of breast cancer diagnosis among women at St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital, Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. To describe the strategies for the reduction of time to breast cancer diagnosis among women in St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Methods: A qualitative approach was used for this study. The study used an explorative, descriptive and contextual design to identify the reasons for delay in breast cancer diagnosis, among women in St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A non- probability purposive sampling technique was used. Ethical clearance was received from the University of Fort Hare Research Ethics Committee. Permission was then obtained from the Provincial Department of Health, and St. Elizabeth’s Regional Hospital to continue with the study. The researcher obtained necessary permission from all participants after they had been thoroughly informed about the purpose of the interview. The researcher obtained consent from the participants to tape record the interview for accurate data collection purpose and permission for data analysis. The data was collected from 11 women with confirmed breast cancer diagnosis seen at St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape Province. A qualitative data was collected using a self-designed semi-structured interview guide by the researcher. Face-to face interview questions were administered by the researcher, probing was done until saturation was reached on 11 participants. Data analysis: The qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. To organize the data into themes that identify factors associated with delays in breast cancer diagnosis among women, the researcher utilized the eight steps of Tesch established in Creswell (2014). Results: The main factors contributing to delays of breast cancer diagnosis among women in St Elizabeth Hospital include financial difficulties, lack of knowledge, lack of presentation to the health facility for consultation, fear of breast cancer and surgery, unreasonable turnaround time for investigation results, lack of oncology skills, and lack of referral to other institution for further investigation and management. Conclusion: There should be oncology capacity building in regional hospitals receiving breast cancer patients from clinics and district hospitals, and continuous breast cancer awareness to reduce delays of breast cancer diagnosis.
dc.identifier.citationMthinjwa, M. (2025) Delays of breast cancer diagnosis among women in St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Mini dissertation. University of Fort Hare.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11837/4105
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Fort Hare
dc.subjectBreast--Cancer--Diagnosis
dc.subjectWomen
dc.titleDelays of breast cancer diagnosis among women in St. Elizabeth Regional Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa
dc.typeThesis
person.identifier.orcid0009-0008-2008-4295

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