The conventional line has it that cancer is treatable the earlier it’s detected. The trouble is that most people’s starting point is the family doctor, and a new study has discovered that he’s pretty bad at detecting cancer.
The Cinderella of cancers is prostate, which, on average, takes the family doctor around 148 days to diagnose, while breast cancer is detected in around 55 days.
However, patients who suspect cancer and by-pass their doctor get the problem diagnosed far more quickly. Those who report to their local hospital, or are admitted through the emergency department, can get a quick diagnosis, usually because the hospital screens the patient almost immediately.