Patient and health service factors associated with delays in cancer treatment for children without social security in Mexico.

Background: The objective was to investigate factors associated with patient-related timing (PRT) to seek healthcare and health service-related timing (HSRT) to diagnose cancer and provide treatment to children without social security in Mexico.

Procedure: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 13 Ministry of Health hospitals in the states of Chihuahua, Jalisco, Mexico City, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, State of Mexico, and Tlaxcala. Study participants were parents of recently diagnosed pediatric cancer patients (≤ 17 years of age).