Prognostic implications of emergency admission and delays in patients with breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
This study evaluates clinical-pathological characteristics and survival rates associated with emergency admission and delays in diagnosis and treatment of 411 consecutive breast cancer patients.


METHODS
Emergency admission and first symptom-first hospital visit delay were significantly associated with advanced tumor stages but only in the former case with short disease-free survival (RR 2.5, CI 95% 1.5-4.2).


RESULTS
Brief diagnostic delays were significantly associated with advanced disease stage and poor survival rates (RR 2.04; CI 95% 1.08-3.82) probably because sicker patients receive prompt medical attention.
Registro Hospitalario de Tumores, Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Costa del Sol, CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Carretera de Cádiz Km 187, Marbella 29600, Málaga, Spain. mredondo@hcs.es
Maximino
M
Redondo
Isabel
I
Rodrigo
Teresa
T
Pereda
Rafael
R
Funez
Mercedes
M
Acebal
Emilio
E
Perea-Milla
Eugenio
E
Jimenez
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D013030:Spain; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors