title: Delays in treating endometrial cancer in the South West of England.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poor cancer survival rates in the United Kingdom are often blamed on delayed medical care. A local audit of endometrial cancer revealed a variety of preventable delays. We surveyed practice in the South West of England to see if this was an isolated or widespread problem.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 15 hospitals in the South West of England collected information prospectively from all women with endometrial cancer over 3 months in the spring of 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were delays in all stages of the uterine cancer pathway. Excluding extraneous cases, 52% of women waited more than a month and 12% waited more than 6 months to see their GP from the onset of symptoms. Almost half the cases said they were unaware that abnormal bleeding was a symptom of cancer. Only a quarter of women had treatment within 31 days from the outpatient visit to first definitive treatment and 18% waited more than the target of 62 days for their treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant treatment delays occur because women do not report bleeding. If this is replicated throughout Britain, approximately 1000 women per year will delay presentation for at least 3 months and 600 will wait for more than 6 months.
authors: Gynaecology, PAW, Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust, Bath, UK. nick.johnson@ruh.nhs.uk
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authors: Miles
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authors: Bailey
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authors: Tylko-Hill
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authors: Das
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authors: Ahson
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authors: Waring
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authors: Nallaswamy
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authors: Murdoch
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Anderson
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