Gaps in Providers’ Knowledge Delays Gastric Cancer Diagnosis

Background Previous studies have suggested that symptomatic cancer patients often experience delays in diagnosis (DD). However, DD of gastric cancer within the USA and etiology of those delays are not understood. Our study quantifies the proportion of gastric cancer patients experiencing DD and contributing barriers of care. Methods We conducted a single institution retrospective review of 256 gastric cancer patients treated between 2015 and 2020. Patients with an interval from symptom onset to diagnosis of > 90 days were classified as having DD and categorized into one of the following barriers of care: access, provider knowledge/skills, and patient factors. Chi-square tests were used to analyze categorical group differences. Non-pooled t -tests and ANOVA were used to compare differences in group means. Results A total of 59 patients (23%) had DD. Among patients with DD, the mean time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 229 days vs 30 days in the non-delayed group ( p