Treatment Choices of Breast Cancer: Do Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Patients Influence the Type of Treatment Sought? The Chronicles of Some Ghanaian Patients at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital

Cancer of the breast is undoubtedly one of the leading public health concerns of women. A woman’s survival odds are extensively dependent on regular screening, early diagnosis, and prompt treatment. Empirical studies have suggested that the urgency to screen for possible malignant growth, early diagnosis, and the type of treatment sought, are based on a plethora of reasons, with the socio-demographic dynamics of patients being a crucial factor. If socio-demographic dynamics have the propensity to drive women to seek treatment or otherwise, then there is the need to interrogate further how these dynamics influence their treatment choices. As such, the aim of the study was to explore the influence socio-demographic dynamics have on the treatment choices of patients. The qualitative research approach informed the methodological orientation of the study. In-depth interviews were conducted to elicit information from twenty patients at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Three treatment types were identified as the preferred options of patients. To a very large extent, the age and marital status of patients influenced the type of treatment sought. The paper recommends that due to the high cost of treatment and management of breast cancer, the National Health Insurance Scheme should cover some aspects of management to reduce the treatment burden on patients.