All.Can Patient Survey

26 Figure 2. Time to diagnosis, by cancer type (among respondents whose cancer was detected outside of a screening programme) What we know Late diagnosis and misdiagnosis are common in many cancers and can lead to delays in treatment or limited treatment options, poorer outcomes, lower likelihood of survival and higher costs of care. 16 18 Diagnosis may be delayed for various reasons, including patient-related factors (e.g. lack of awareness of symptoms) and system-related factors, including availability of specialists, speed of referral, fast access to imaging, pathology capacity and other factors. The complexity of the process of clinical evaluation, diagnosis and staging may also vary by cancer type. 18 Early diagnosis is not equally feasible for all cancer types. Cancers that have clear signs and symptoms and effective treatments (e.g. breast cancer) tend to benefit most from early diagnosis. 18 For some cancers (e.g. colorectal), early diagnosis – before symptoms start to show – is crucial to allow time for effective treatment options. This emphasises the importance of screening for early detection. Unweighted base size: 2,082 Less than a month 1 to 6 months More than 6 months 1 | Swift, accurate and appropriately delivered diagnosis Percentage of patients 78% 67% 65% 56% 50% 50% 49% 38% 38% 29% 27% 25% 26% 12% 28% 25% 27% 41% 36% 30% 45% 55% 48% 48% 52% 66% 10% 5% 10% 17% 10% 14% 21% 17% 7% 23% 25% 23% 9% Other Head and neck Sarcoma Gastric Lung Colorectal/bowel Brain/central nervous system Haematological Gynaecological Urological Skin Breast Prostate