(August 14, 2009 - Insidermedicine) Individuals who present to their physician with an “alarm” symptom suggestive of cancer may wait years for a diagnosis, if they receive one at all, according to research published in the British Medical Journal.

Here are some reasons why it is important to diagnose cancer early:

•    It increases the chances the disease can be cured

•    It reduces the risk of cancer spreading and affecting other organs

•    It reduces the risk of needing more complex and toxic treatments

Researchers from University College London analyzed over 750,000 patients who presented to a general practitioner between 1994 and 2000. They looked for four alarm symptoms: blood in the urine, coughing up blood, difficulty swallowing, and rectal bleeding and looked to see whether a diagnosis was given related to the symptom after 3 months and 3 years.

Typically, fewer than 25% of patients received a diagnosis for their alarm symptom within three months. Even after three years, most patients did not have a diagnosis. The older the patient, the more likely he or she was to obtain a diagnosis.

Today’s research demonstrates that physicians could be doing a better job of fully investigating symptoms that could be suggestive of cancer.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.