Abstract B9: Is delayed diagnosis of lung cancer preventable?

Abstract Background: Major efforts have been made worldwide to speed the process of referral for patients with suspected lung cancer. Delay in diagnosis of cancer is recognized as an important factor in the overall outcome of treatment. Aim: The purpose of this study was to test if the symptom history of patients with operable disease differs from that of patients with inoperable disease. Methods: 39 men and women recently diagnosed with lung cancer at Assiut University Hospital during the period from August 2009-June 2010 were included in this study. The main outcome measures were the symptoms leading up to a diagnosis of lung cancer in operable and inoperable cases. Results: Patients recalled having new symptoms for many months, typically over the year before their diagnosis, irrespective of their disease stage once diagnosed. In the time interval between appearance of the first symptom and operation, a significantly shorter median delay was found for patients with operable and inoperable lung cancer (P=0.028). Concerning the interval from first contact with the healthcare system to operation a significantly shorter median delay was found for the group of patients in operable compared to the inoperable patients (P=0.019). Conclusion: Our findings, although preliminary, suggest that the widely held view that lung cancer is silent until far advanced may be inaccurate. Encouragement to present early with signs of lung cancer should be considered alongside other efforts to speed up diagnosis and treatment. A few months delay before final treatment of a non-small-cell lung cancer seems to have an impact on the perioperative stage of the cancer, and thereby on the patients prognosis. A screening of asymptomatic risk-group patients will result in recognition of early lung cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):B9.