Barriers to Timely Diagnosis and Management in Ovarian Cancer: A Descriptive Analysis of Causative Factors

Ovarian cancer continues to be a leading cause of death from gynecological malignancies worldwide and is the third leading cause of cancer in females in India. This study aims to identify preventable factors causing delay in presentation, diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. Between 2022 and 2024, 104 women with ovarian cancer were included prospectively in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to record patient’s symptoms, time from onset of symptoms and primary or presentation delay, secondary or diagnostic delay, tertiary delay or treatment delay were calculated from the collected data. A correlation between the various delays and stage of disease at presentation was analyzed. Most common symptom experienced by patients was abdominal or pelvic pain (58.7%), followed by bloating/distension and early satiety and loss of appetite. Various delays encountered in the present study showed that the primary, secondary and tertiary delay had a mean of 130 days (SD 127), 32.4 days (SD 36.6) and 66.7 days (SD 94.2). Statistically significant correlation was found in primary delay where patients presented in an advanced stage (P value-0.007). The findings of this study highlight key challenges and opportunities in the diagnosis and management timeline for ovarian cancer. Primary delay being the most contributing factor, educating women about the risk factors, symptoms and treatment options of ovarian cancer and early referral to specialized units by health care physicians, may lead to a reduction in the associated morbidity and mortality.