Delays Between Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Findings in a study published in the April 15, 2002, issue of the journal Cancer indicate that a delay of more than 20 weeks in diagnosing asymptomatic breast cancer-where a screening test first indicated a suspicious result-is associated with increasing tumor size and increasing risk of lymph node metastases.
Screening tests for breast cancer are useful because they can detect disease in women without symptoms. However, screening tests can also yield information that neither rules in nor rules out disease for the physician, leading to unnecessary and sometimes uncomfortable procedures in some women and long delays in diagnosis for others.
White House Commission Reports on CAM
