title: A short diagnostic delay is more important for rectal cancer than for colonic cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the association between a short diagnostic delay and tumour stage in patients with colonic and rectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicentre study, Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  336 patients with colonic, and 218 patients with rectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incidence and duration of symptoms, delay in diagnosis, and stage at diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with rectal cancer and a delay of less than a month between start of symptoms and diagnosis included a significantly larger proportion of Dukes' A tumours than patients with a longer delay (p = 0.004). Delay in patients with colonic cancer did not correlate with stage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A short delay in the diagnosis of rectal cancer was associated with better staging. This could not be shown for colonic cancer, which may be attributable to its initially vague symptoms and to a subgroup of highly malignant tumours with rapidly progressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Central Hospital, Norrköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arbman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Störgren-Fordell
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sjödahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors