Women of faith more often present with advanced ovarian cancer.

“Effect of Cultural Folk and Religious Beliefs and Practices on Delays in Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer in African American Women

https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7031

An individual's beliefs have the potential to affect cancer outcomes both positively and negatively. Religious practices and cultural/folk beliefs may be especially relevant for African Americans (AAs) with cancer. AAs are more likely than whites to have a religious affiliation and more likely to report praying, regardless of whether they identify with a specific religious affiliation.

We conducted analyses among AA women in a multicenter case control study of ovarian cancer. Because many cultural/folk beliefs are intertwined with religious beliefs, our analyses evaluated specific cultural/folk beliefs as well as measures of participation in religious practices. We examined whether these beliefs and practices were associated with delays in ovarian cancer diagnosis as indicated by a later stage at diagnosis or longer symptom duration before diagnosis.

This case only analysis comprised of 599 AA women with ovarian cancer from the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study. Participants completed an interviewer administered telephone survey that obtained risk factor information, including reproductive history, medical history, socio-demographic factors, and lifestyle characteristics. Stage at diagnosis was derived from pathology and medical records, and categorized as stage I–II versus III–IV.

Responses to questions on religiosity showed that a large majority of the women regularly participated in religious services and prayers. Religiosity showed a significant association with stage at diagnosis. There was a twofold increase in the odds of stage III–IV disease for women who reported attending religious services >1 × /week (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.11–3.53) and those who considered themselves very religious (OR = 2.35, 95% CI 1.07–5.18).

Our analyses showed that women who reported greater religiosity were more likely to have higher stage ovarian cancer, whereas there was no clear association with symptom duration before diagnosis. Endorsement of cultural/folk beliefs related to cancer or health showed little association with either stage at diagnosis or symptom duration”.