SUMMARY
Background:
Patients presenting with ocular tumors may have worse visual and systemic prognosis if late diagnosis and therapeutics occur. Studies assessing the causes for this delay in our country were retrospective and focused on a specific type of tumor.
Objectives:
To elucidate the trajectory until diagnosis and treatment of a group of patients with ocular tumors, describing their demographic and clinical features.
Material and Methods:
Interview with patients presenting with ocular tumors of recent diagnosis admitted in a university hospital from May 95 to May 96.
Results:
Thirty seven patients were evaluated. The malignant tumors that were most frequently found were retinoblastoma, conjunctival epidermoid carcinoma and choroid melanoma. The trajectory from the beginning of symptoms until therapy developed in four main stages, with different problems in each one of them. Stages 1 to 3, related mostly to the motivation and access to health services, contributed equally, each one increasing from one to three months the duration of the disease. Stage 4, when complementary exams were needed, was the briefest, lasting for less than 30 days for the majority of patients.
Conclusion:
These results indicate that prevention programs should take into account the different limitations that occur in our population in arder to be efficient.
Key Words:
Ocular tumor; Control and Prevention