Factors Influencing Time From Diagnosis to Treatment of Breast Cancer and the Impact of Longer Waiting Time on Survival in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: A Population-Based Study.

PURPOSE: Longer time between breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and treatment initiation is associated with poorer survival, and this may be a factor behind disparities in global survival rates. We assessed time to BC treatment in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, including factors associated with longer waiting times and their impact on survival. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective population-based study of BC cases recorded in the Kathmandu Valley Population-Based Cancer Registry between 2018 and 2019. Fieldwork survey through telephone was undertaken to collect additional sociodemographic and clinical information. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with longer time to treatment, and Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression was used to examine survival time and evaluate the association between longer time to treatment and survival. RESULTS: Among the 385 patients with BC, one third waited >4 weeks from diagnosis to initial treatment. Lower education was associated with longer time to treatment (adjusted odds ratio, 1.63 [95% CI, 1.03 to 2.60]). The overall 3-year survival rate was 88.6% and survival was not associated with time to treatment (P = .50). However, advanced stage at diagnosis was associated with poorer survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.09 [95% CI, 1.27 to 13.23]). There was some indication that longer time to treatment was associated with poorer survival for advanced-stage patients, but data quality limited that analysis. CONCLUSION: In the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, women with a lower education tend to wait longer from BC diagnosis to treatment. Patients with advanced-stage BC had poorer survival, and longer waiting time may be associated with poorer survival for women diagnosed with advanced-stage disease.

Factors influencing the time to diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer among women in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

PURPOSE: Shorter time from symptoms recognition to diagnosis and timely treatment would be expected to improve the survival of patients with breast cancer (BC). This review identifies and summarizes evidence on time to diagnosis and treatment, and associated factors to inform an improved BC care pathways in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases including Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Global Health, covering publications between January 1, 2010, and November 6, 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies published in English from LMICs that reported on time from symptoms recognition to diagnosis and/or from diagnosis to treatment, as well as factors influencing these timelines. Study quality was assessed independently by two reviewers using a standard checklist. Pre-contact, post-contact and treatment intervals and delays in these intervals are presented. Barriers and facilitators for shorter time to diagnosis and treatment found by individual studies after adjusting with covariates are summarized. RESULTS: The review identified 21 studies across 14 countries and found that BC cases took a longer time to diagnosis than to treatment. However, time to treatment also exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended period for optimal survival. There was inconsistency in terminology and benchmarks for defining delays in time intervals. Low socioeconomic status and place of residence emerged as frequent barriers, while initial contact with a private health facility or specialist was commonly reported as a facilitator for shorter time to diagnosis and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Guidelines or consensus recommendations are essential for defining the optimal time intervals to BC diagnosis and treatment. Our review supported WHO's Global Breast Cancer Initiative recommendations. Increasing public awareness, strengthening of healthcare professional's capacities, partial decentralization of diagnostic services and implementation of effective referral mechanisms are recommended to achieve a shorter time to diagnosis and treatment of BC in LMICs.

Perceived social support and compliance on stay-at-home order during COVID-19 emergency in Nepal: an evidence from web-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: After COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO, several non-pharmaceutical interventions were adopted for containing the virus. Success to which largely depend upon citizens' compliance to these measures. There is growing body of evidence linking social support with health promoting behaviour. Hence, this research aimed to study the effects on compliance with stay-at-home order in relation to their perceived social support. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adult participants aged 18 years and above residing in Bagmati Province, Nepal. A convenient non-probability sampling method was adopted to select the required number of samples. The questionnaire was developed through an extensive review of literature, and consultations with the research advisor, subject experts, as well as peers and converted to online survey form using Google Forms. Perceived social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) scale whereas compliance was assessed using a single screening question. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 involving both the descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Two fifth (40.2%) of the participants reported poor compliance with stay-at-home order which was found higher among participants who were not vaccinated against COVID-19 compared to those vaccinated (p value < 0.05). A significant difference was observed between sex and perceived support (p value < 0.05) with higher proportion (80.8%) of female participants reporting perceived support from family, friends, and significant others in comparison to male participants. CONCLUSION: Overall, the results of this study suggest that the perceived support from family is higher compared to others. Further evidence might be helpful to understand contextual factors on compliance with public health measures. Tailoring behaviour change messages as per the community needs would help the response in such emergencies. The findings from this study might be useful as one of the evidence base for formulating plans and policy during emergencies of similar nature.

Differences in cancer incidence and pattern between urban and rural Nepal: one-year experience from two population-based cancer registries.

Variations in cancer incidence, mortality and pattern exist in rural and urban areas. Understanding these differences helps in developing targeted cancer prevention and control strategies. However, no previous studies have explored the differences in cancer demographics between the rural and urban areas of Nepal. The data of Kathmandu Valley (urban area) Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) and Rukum (rural area) PBCR were analysed to identify the differences in cancer pattern in rural and urban areas. The age-adjusted incidence rate (AAR) in Kathmandu was higher than that in Rukum (1.6 times among males and 1.9 times among females). The top two leading sites in males were lungs and stomach in both the regions; however, the rates were higher in Kathmandu. The incidence rate for cancer of the urinary bladder among males in Kathmandu was particularly higher - 4.4 times that of Rukum. In females, the leading site of cancer in Kathmandu was breast, which was eight times higher compared to Rukum, whereas the incidence rate of cervix cancer in Kathmandu is 30% less than in Rukum. The incidence of tobacco-related cancer was found to be higher in Kathmandu compared to Rukum. These findings reveal the need for different policy priorities for cancer control in the urban versus rural regions of Nepal, based on the different demographics of cancer in the two areas. Similar studies from other regions of Nepal are needed to develop a targeted cancer control strategy.

Factors Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases in Nepal: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Population-Based Study.

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases Study 2017 predicted that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the second leading cause of death, the fourth leading cause of premature death, and the third cause for DALYs lost in Nepal. However, data on the population-based prevalence of COPD in Nepal are very limited. This study aims to assess the prevalence of COPD and factors associated with the occurrence of COPD in Nepal. Methods: From a nationally representative, population-based cross-sectional study on chronic non-communicable diseases, the prevalence of COPD and its associated factors was determined. Of 12,557 participants aged over 20 years, 8945 participants completed a questionnaire and spirometry. Eligible participants were also asked to answer a COPD diagnostic questionnaire for screening COPD cases, and if needed underwent pre-bronchodilator and post-bronchodilator spirometry. COPD was defined as a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity) ratio of <0.70. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with COPD. Sampling weights were used for all data analyses. Results: The prevalence of COPD in Nepal was 11.7% (95% CI: 10.5% to 12.9 %), which increased with age, and higher in those with a low educational level, those who had smoked ≥50 pack-years, persons having a low body mass index (BMI), and residents of Karnali province. Multivariate analysis revealed that being aged 60 years and above, having a low BMI, low educational status, having smoked more than 50 pack-years, provincial distribution, and ethnicity were independent predictors of COPD. Conclusion: COPD is a growing and serious public health issue in Nepal. Factor such as old age, cigarette smoking, low educational attainment, low BMI, ethnicity, and locality of residence (province-level variation) plays a vital role in the occurrence of COPD. Strategies aimed at targeting these risk factors through health promotion and education interventions are needed to decrease the burden of COPD.

Epidemiologic Pattern of Cancer in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Findings of Population-Based Cancer Registry, 2018.

PURPOSE: Although cancer is an important and growing public health issue in Nepal, the country lacked any population-based cancer registry (PBCR) until 2018. In this study, we describe the establishment of the PBCR for the first time in Nepal and use the registry data to understand incidence, mortality, and patterns of cancer in the Kathmandu Valley (consisting of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts), which comprises 10.5% of the estimated 29 million population of Nepal in 2018. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PBCR collects information from facilities and communities through the active process. The facilities include cancer or general hospitals, pathology laboratories, hospice, and Ayurvedic centers. In the communities, the field enumerators or female community health volunteers collected the data from the households. In addition, the Social Security and Nursing Division under the Department of Health Services, which provides subsidy for cancer treatment of underprivileged patients, was another major source of data. The collected data were verified for residence, accuracy, and completeness and then entered and analyzed using CanReg5 software. RESULTS: In the Kathmandu Valley, the PBCR registered 2,156 new cancer cases with overall age-adjusted incidence rate for all cancers of 95.7 per 100,000 population (95.3 for males and 98.1 for females). The age-adjusted mortality rate for males was 36.3 (n = 365) and for females 27.0 (n = 305) per 100,000 population. We found that the commonest cancers in males were lung and stomach, whereas in females, they were breast and lung cancer. Gallbladder cancer was among the top five common cancers in both sex. CONCLUSION: These findings provide a milestone to understand the cancer burden in the country for the first time using the PBCR and will be helpful to develop and prioritize cancer control strategies.

Challenges and Way Forward for Establishing Population Based Cancer Registry in Nepal.

Population Based Cancer Registry plays a crucial role in cancer control through identifying cancer incidence, mortality, pattern and trends over time in a particular population. The registry is in a very infancy stage in Nepal. During the process of establishing Population Based Cancer Registry in Nepal, the major challenges include adequate coverage of the cases, high cost of registration, sustainability along with expansion of the registry to other regions and non-linkage of Hospital Based Cancer Registry with Population Based Cancer Registry. However, the approach of mobilization of field enumerators at the end of year once had increased coverage of the cases. Similarly, the linkage of Population Based Cancer Registry with the existing Health Management and Information System will help in developing sustainable Population Based Cancer Registry and also provides an opportunity to increase coverage and expand it to other districts as well. Keywords: Challenges; Nepal; population based cancer registry; way forward.

Fertility Desire and Its Determinants Among People Living with HIV in Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic of Teku Hospital, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy in people Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) involves significant public health risks, including the risk of HIV transmission to uninfected partners and the fetus. Despite the growing importance of fertility issues for HIV-infected people, little is known about their fertility desires in Nepal. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the magnitude of and factors associated with the fertility desire of PLHIV. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 PLHIV attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic in Teku Hospital, Nepal. A standard semi-structured questionnaire was administered to participants using systematic random sampling. Data were entered using Epi-data 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS software version 20. RESULTS: Out of the total participants, 12.1% desired to have a child. Among those having this desire, 44.1% had not decided when to have a child. Reasons for desiring a child were having no children (44.1%), wanting to have a child of different sex than the previous one (29.4%), followed by wanting to have another child (26.5%). Factors such as being male (COR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.3-7.0), being ≤40 years of age (COR: 3.8, 95% CI: 1.5-9.4), higher age at marriage (COR: 7.7, 95% CI: 1.5-39.6), middle socio-economic status (COR: 3.5, 95% CI: 1.7-7.3), having no children (COR: 22.9, 95% CI: 8.6-60.8) or fewer children (COR: 74.8, 95% CI: 9.7-575.1), greater CD4 count (COR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.3-5.9) and having moderate knowledge of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (COR: 5.4, 95% CI: 2.3-12.7) had higher odds of having fertility desire. CONCLUSION: Around one in every ten participants had a desire for fertility despite their HIV status. This calls for special attention in promoting integrated services for HIV and reproductive health. It will be important to include counseling and other services for those with fertility desire alongside providing ART.

Factors Influencing Modern Contraceptive Use among Adolescents in Nepal.

In Nepal, contraceptive use among married adolescents is low and has remained nearly stagnant since 2006, while little information is available about contraceptive use among unmarried adolescents. Nepal is committed to improve sexual and reproductive health rights among all the adolescents. Promoting modern contraceptive use especially among married adolescents is one of the key approaches in practice, to prevent HIV or sexual transmitted infections, avoid unintended pregnancy and sub-sequent unsafe abortion. In spite of these efforts, modern contraceptive use among married adolescents is not increasing. In this study, we aimed to review the prevalence and trends as well as factors influencing modern contraceptive use among both married and unmarried adolescents in Nepal. A review of existing published and unpublished articles, documents, and reports were conducted. An adapted and modified socio-ecological model was used to explore the factors influencing contraceptive use. Contraceptive use is persistently low among adolescents. Various interrelated factors like socio-cultural norms and traditions, lack of comprehensive knowledge on contraceptive methods among adolescents, inadequate adolescent friendly Services and health workers not having the competencies to work with adolescents, are the major influential factors that limit adolescents to seek and use contraceptive services and information. A multilevel approach is required to address the interrelated factors and to create an enabling environment in which adolescent are fully informed and equipped to make use of contraceptives and related services. For this to happen, Government and NGOs working on sexual and reproductive health rights have to work towards translating the existing policies into practice. Involving adolescents, their families and communities; equipping teachers to provide comprehensive sex education within school and sex education programme for out of school and enhancing the competencies of health workers to provide adolescent friendly services - all in line with the written policy - is urgently needed. Keywords: Adolescent; barriers; contraceptive; Nepal; SRHR.