RESUMEN

Early detection and treatment improve the prognosis for oral cancer. Delays from the onset of symptoms to clinical diagnosis are common. Our aim is to identify factors associated with this delay. Between 1995 and 1998, we interviewed 105 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed oral cancer in Greece. If 21 or more days elapsed from the time the patient noticed major symptoms to a definitive diagnosis, we called it a delay (52% of cases). We used logistic and linear regression to estimate odds ratios of delayed diagnosis and to identify correlates of length of delay, respectively. Former smokers had a 4.3 times greater risk of delayed diagnosis compared with current smokers (95% confidence interval: 1.1-17.1). The length of delay was greater among single patients, non-smokers, or those with stage IV tumors. Clinicians should be advised that delay in the diagnosis of oral cancer occurs frequently, even in individuals who do not smoke heavily.

Asunto(s)

Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/diagnóstico , Neoplasias de la Boca/diagnóstico , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Consumo de Bebidas Alcohólicas , Peso Corporal , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/genética , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Intervalos de Confianza , Empleo , Femenino , Grecia , Humanos , Modelos Lineales , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Estado Civil , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasias de la Boca/genética , Estadificación de Neoplasias , Oportunidad Relativa , Salud Bucal , Neoplasias Faríngeas/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Faríngeas/genética , Factores de Riesgo , Factores Sexuales , Fumar , Estadísticas no Paramétricas , Factores de Tiempo