Late presentation rather than doctors failing to diagnose is to blame for the poor prognosis of most ovarian cancer patients, Australian research suggests.
Overall, 66% of women with ovarian cancer received their diagnosis within a month of presenting with symptoms to their GP or another health professional, and 80% were diagnosed within three months, a study found.
Most often the diagnosis was made by a gynaecological oncologist, and only 15% of patients visited more than three doctors before they were diagnosed, according to the survey of 1463 ovarian cancer patients.
Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia, the authors said their findings were contrary to anecdotal reports that women with ovarian cancer faced a long and circuitous journey from first...
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