Perceived risk and help-seeking behavior for breast cancer - A Chinese-American perspective

Delay in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer diminishes a woman's chance of survival. How do women decide whether and when to seek an evaluat ion of breast symptoms that may signal breast cancer? Prior studies of Afri can-American, white, and Latino women have described a number of critical f actors associated with making the judgment to delay, but at this writing, t here have been no studies factors influencing Chinese-American women. By me ans of focus group methods in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, a sample of 45, predominantly first-generation Chinese-American women explained their understandings of breast cancer risk and their likelihood of delaying versu s seeking evaluation of self-discovered breast symptoms. There was much con gruence with the ideas of other American women despite the differing cultur al heritage. Unique to these Chinese Americans was a sense of invulnerabili ty to breast cancer, a linking of cancer to tragic luck, and the predominan t likelihood of delay. To preserve modesty and to conserve wealth and time, many study participants favored using Chinese medicine and delaying Wester n therapies. This study suggests ways by which health care providers must a pproach guidelines for breast cancer early detection in this population.