Barriers to early detection and treatment of breast cancer in rural areas of Bangladesh
1 Department of Psychology, Life and Earth Science, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2 Department of Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, Curtin University, Western Australia, Australia.
3 Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Research Article
International Journal of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences Archive, 2026, 11(01), 078-095.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijbpsa.2026.11.1.0020
Publication history:
Received on 12 January 2026; revised on 21 February 2026; accepted on 23 February 2026
Abstract:
Breast cancer is still one of the top causes of mortality for women around the world. In Bangladesh's rural areas, early identification and treatment are quite difficult. This study examines the socio-cultural, economic, and healthcare impediments to the early detection and treatment of breast cancer in rural Bangladesh. A standardized questionnaire was used to survey a sample of 400 rural women to find out how much they knew about breast cancer symptoms, how easy it was for them to get medical care, and how they felt about treatment. The study identified insufficient awareness, socio-cultural stigma, financial constraints, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure as significant impediments to timely diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, although women indicated a readiness to engage in prevention and screening initiatives, the absence of accessible services and educational resources in remote regions obstructs effective intervention. The results show that rural populations need more targeted awareness efforts, better healthcare facilities, and ways to acquire financial help to discover and treat breast cancer earlier.
Keywords:
Breast Cancer; Rural Bangladesh; Early Detection; Healthcare Barriers; Socio-Cultural Stigma; Awareness; Prevention Programs
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Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0