Pathways to the diagnosis of symptomatic breast cancer among Black women in the UK: a qualitative interview study

Women of black African and Black Caribbean descent in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer at late stage and have the worst survival of any ethnic group. Delayed diagnosis of breast cancer in Black women in the UK has been attributed to delayed presentation to healthcare professional, therefore, interventions to address this have focused on tailored messaging to promote awareness. Recent evidence reports that Black women experience a longer primary care interval than any other ethnic group, that is, the time from the first GP encounter with a symptom to the point where they are referred to secondary care for investigation. This suggests a more comprehensive approach may be required to achieve earlier diagnosis in black women. The study aims to explore black women’s pathways to diagnosis of symptomatic breast cancer using qualitative interviews. The goal is to gain an understanding of their journey from the first notice of a symptom to the point where they receive a histological diagnosis. A workshop will be held with relevant stakeholders to interpret the study findings and set priority actions for earlier diagnosis in Black women with symptomatic breast cancer in the UK.