Table 1 Sociodemographic and cancer-related characteristics of help-seeking patients
Age (years): Mean ± SD (Range) | ||
Overall Patients | 51.22 ± 14.55 (16–87) | |
Female (t: 3.370, p = 0.001) | 49.62 ± 13.4 (16–85) | |
Male | 53.83 ± 16 (16–87) | |
n | % | |
Sex | ||
Female (χ2: 32.678/ p < 0.001) | 351 | 62 |
Male | 215 | 38 |
Education level | ||
Literate / elementery school | 314 | 55.5 |
Secondary school graduates | 188 | 33.2 |
College | 64 | 11.8 |
Marital status | ||
Married | 430 | 76 |
Single | 59 | 10.4 |
Divorced/Widowed | 77 | 13.6 |
Employment | ||
Housewife | 212 | 37.5 |
Working fulltime | 152 | 26.9 |
Retired | 176 | 31.1 |
Other | 26 | 4.6 |
Income level | ||
Low | 120 | 21.1 |
Middle | 430 | 76 |
Upper | 16 | 2.8 |
Type of family | ||
Core | 512 | 90.5 |
Extended | 40 | 7.1 |
Alone | 14 | 2.5 |
Cancer site | ||
Breast | 176 | 31.1 |
Lung | 63 | 11.1 |
Gastrointestinal cancers | 70 | 12.4 |
Head and neck cancer | 64 | 11,3 |
Brain tumors | 30 | 5.3 |
Gynecologic cancers | 56 | 9.9 |
Male genitourinary cancers | 29 | 5.1 |
Leymphoma | 36 | 6.4 |
Malignant melanoma /skin cancer | 12 | 2.1 |
Bone and soft tissue cancer | 17 | 3 |
Other | 13 | 2.3 |
Stage | ||
Local disease | 315 | 55.7 |
Locoregional recurrence | 114 | 20.1 |
Metastatic | 128 | 22.6 |
Unknown | 9 | 1.6 |
Oncological treatment | ||
Surgery+chemotherapy+ radiotheraphy (+hormone therapy) | 182 | 32.2 |
Surgery+chemotherapy | 112 | 19.8 |
Chemotherapy+ radiotheraphy | 85 | 15 |
Chemotherapy | 76 | 13.4 |
Surgery+radiotheraphy | 51 | 9 |
Radiotheraphy | 19 | 3.4 |
Surgery+chemotherapy+hormone therapy | 16 | 2.8 |
Surgery | 12 | 2.1 |
Surgery +interferon | 3 | 0.5 |
Treatment is not yet started | 4 | 0.7 |
Other | 9 | 1.6 |
Any other medical illnesses | ||
Yes | 113 | 20 |
No | 453 | 80 |
Family history of cancer | ||
Yes | 82 | 14.5 |
No | 484 | 85.5 |
Secondary cancer | ||
Yes | 16 | 2.8 |
No | 550 | 97.2 |
Duration of cancer (month): Mean ± SD (Range) | 22.3 ± 33.1 (1–240) | |