Investigating Patient and Physician Delays in the Diagnosis of Head and Neck Cancers: a Canadian Perspective

Diagnostic delays for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients are common. Patients often disregard symptoms for long periods before seeking help, and some family physicians may not be alert to the warning symptoms and signs of HNCs. This study evaluated the factors associated with length of delays in the diagnosis of HNCs in a Canadian population. This was a mixed-method study consisting of patient interviews and surveys in an academic health center. A questionnaire requesting demographic and disease information was completed by HNC patients followed by a 30 min semi-structured interview in a private setting. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, anonymized, and descriptively coded for emergent themes. Twenty-eight head and neck cancer patients participated in the study. More patients experienced physician delay (71 %) than patient delay (36 %). The median physician delay and patient delay were 108 and 31 days, respectively. Two main themes regarding these delays were (1) physician lack of knowledge and (2) lack of patient awareness. Results indicate that physician delay needs to be focused on compared to patient delay, as it is more common and has longer delays. More comprehensive training in head and neck clinical examination skills during undergraduate and residency training is recommended to reduce physician delay. Patient delay could be targeted by public education programs via both physicians and dentists.