Research: 20% of Cancer Patients Delay Seeing Doctor About Symptoms

Researchers at King's College London found that people who develop cancer symptoms delay going to see their doctor by an average of three months, sometimes allowing the cancer to develop beyond the early stages.

As a result, health experts are now set on improving public education campaigns to inform more people about symptoms of cancer to encourage patients not to neglect medical attention. The research analyzed 2,371 patients with 15 different cancers and asked about the nature and duration of their symptoms through a questionnaire.

Of the 1,999 cancer patients reporting symptoms, 21% of them delayed seeing a doctor for three months or longer mainly because of socioeconomic deprivation. Those with prostate cancer (44%) and rectal cancer (37%) were most likely to delay seeing a doctor, while breast cancer patients (8%) were the least likely. The study aimed to promote early symptomatic presentation of cancer to treat it more effectively.

Other numbers were fairly startling as well. A total of 35% of patients waited at least three months before seeing a doctor about rectal bleeding, 21% delayed after experiencing unexplained weight loss, 17% after developing a lump, and 9% after finding blood in their urine. Such evidence only worsens the existing cancer statistics that are already disheartening.

Although these numbers were limited the United Kingdom, it's likely that such behavior occurs elsewhere. The World Health Organization provides sobering numbers about cancer worldwide, including 8.2 million deaths in 2012. Additionally, they estimate that 30% of all cancers could be prevented, which likely includes the groups of patients that delay seeing a doctor after developing symptoms.

The King's College London study, "Risk Factors for Delay in Symptomatic Presentation: A Survey of Cancer Patients," was published in the British Journal of Cancer on Wednesday, June 10. The research, led by Dr. Lindsay Forbes, hopes to spur educational efforts regarding cancer and its symptoms.

"Although a worrying number of patients across society are waiting too long to go to their doctor, those in the most deprived areas are the most likely to delay," said Dr. Forbes, in this Guardian news article.

You can read more about cancer prevalence in the UK on the Cancer Research UK website.