title: Head and neck cancer: possible causes for delay in diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the possible causes for delay in diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective study of time interval between onset of symptom, first medical consultation, first specialist clinic consultation, diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer in otorhinolaryngology head and neck (ORL-HNS) and dental clinics at Sarawak General Hospital. Forty-two consecutive cases diagnosed to have cancer between July to December 2006 were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean interval between onset of symptom and medical consultation was 3.8 months, mean interval between first medical consultation to ORL-HNS or dental clinic referral was 8.4 weeks, mean duration between first ORL-HNS or dental specialist consultation to histopathological diagnosis was 18.8 days while duration between diagnosis to definite treatment was 26.9 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most cases were diagnosed at advanced stage. Patient delay was the main problem. There was significant delay by frontier health workers in identifying sinister symptoms of malignancy. Timing for diagnosis and treatment after specialist referral were comparable with other published studies.
authors: Sarawak General Hospital/University Malaysia Sarawak, Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Lot 77, Sekysen 22, Kuchinng Town Land District, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, 93150 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
authors: S C
authors: SC
authors: Lee
authors: I P
authors: IP
authors: Tang
authors: S P
authors: SP
authors: Avatar
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Ahmad
authors: K S
authors: KS
authors: Selva
authors: K K
authors: KK
authors: Tay
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Vikneswaran
authors: T Y
authors: TY
authors: Tan
mesh_terms: D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors