Factors influencing early presentation to general practitioners for non–screen detected breast cancer

Breast cancer outcomes in rural Australia are usually worse than metropolitan areas. Apart from barriers to accessing GP services, women living in rural Australia displayed a unique trait to their urban counterparts: stoicism. Two GPs interviewed 20 women from rural and urban regions of New South Wales who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last five years that had not been detected through regular screening. While the sample size was relatively small, several key themes emerged through speaking with participants. Both urban and rural groups had similar experiences regarding symptom appraisal, monitoring, social interactions that influenced help-seeking behaviour, as well as personal and environmental factors such as COVID-19 restrictions. While most women felt a sense of urgency around symptoms, rural women demonstrated a uniquely high threshold for symptoms before seeking help from their GP, which is a barrier to timely diagnosis and treatment. They also experienced higher barriers to accessing GP services due to lack of availability of their regular GP, cost of seeing a GP, and travelling long distances to see their GP. This study highlights the importance of GPs in diagnosing and treating women with breast cancer, particularly those living in rural Australia. It also brings light to specific barriers faced by rural women and rural GPs that may need additional interventions and support to overcome, which could improve breast cancer outcomes in rural Australia.   Read the original article here.