Many People Not Given Cancer Diagnosis Within First Two Visits to Doctor

Nearly a quarter of people have to wait for at least a month and visit their doctors for four or five times before their cancer is diagnosed, a new study by the Royal College of General Practitioners reveals. According to the study, more than 75 percent of patients who have been diagnosed with cancer were given the diagnosis within the first two visits to the doctors. However a substantial percentage of the patients have to visit at least four or five times before the doctors can correctly diagnose that they have cancer.

The study revealed that nearly 13 percent of cancers were diagnosed when the patients went to emergency hospitals due to accidents or other emergencies. However the researchers admitted that they were unable to arrive at a conclusion why the delay in diagnosis takes place.

“It has given us much more insight into the process of what happens once a patient does start to consult a GP. It doesn't give us the final answers. There is more work still to do particularly around people admitted in an emergency”, lead researcher Professor Greg Rubin said.

Source-Medindia