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Barriers to early detection and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in African American men
Author(s) -
Carroll William R.,
Kohler Connie L.,
Carter Vivian L.,
Han Lonnie,
Skipper Joni B.,
Rosenthal Eben L.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.21125
Subject(s) - medicine , head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , african american , head and neck , stage (stratigraphy) , presentation (obstetrics) , basal cell , head and neck cancer , oncology , cancer , surgery , paleontology , ethnology , biology , history
Background. African Amercians afflicted with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have a strikingly worse survival than do whites. One apparent cause is an advanced stage of presentation in African Americans. This study was designed to identify barriers to early treatment among African American men. Methods. Twenty‐four African American male HNSCC survivors completed structured interviews. Interviewers elicited the participants' experiences from symptom recognition to receiving definitive care. Results. Most participants were seen with advanced‐stage HNSCC. Overall, 10% experienced barriers to obtaining early medical care, though 30% were hesitant to seek care due to perceived barriers. Definitive treatment began for 81% within 3 months of initial care seeking. Conclusion. Once participants sought care, most of them received definitive treatment within a reasonable time frame. To explain the advanced stage at presentation, either tumor growth rate was extremely rapid or participants sought care when the tumor was quite advanced. The themes suggested by this elicitation study require further validation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009