Impact of delay in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer

Revista Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia

Felippu, André Wady Debes¹  Freire, Eduardo Cesar² 

[1] Universidade Metropolitana de Santos, Santos, Brazil;Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

关键词: Delayed diagnosis;    Head and neck neoplasms;    Squamous cell carcinoma;    Time factors;    Primary health care;    Prognosis.;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.bjorl.2015.10.009

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Associacao Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cervicofacial

【 摘 要 】

INTRODUCTION: Head and neck tumors can be easily recognized through clinical evaluation. However, they are often diagnosed at advanced stages.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the delay from the patient's initial symptoms to the definitive treatment.METHODS: Retrospective study of patients enrolled in 2011 and 2012. A questionnaire was filled in about socioeconomic aspects, patient history, tumor data, professionals who evaluated the patients, and the respective time delays.RESULTS: The following time delay medians were observed: ten months between symptom onset and the first consultation; four weeks between the latter and the first consultation with a specialist; four weeks between the specialist consultation and diagnosis attainment; and 12 weeks between diagnosis and the start of treatment.CONCLUSIONS: Most head and neck tumors are diagnosed at advanced stages, due to patient and health care factors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY