Causes of Delay in the Early Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Perusal of the literature dealing with colorectal cancer reveals at least three distressing facts:

• 1. The frequency of this type of malignancy seems to be regularly increasing in the western hemisphere, with an updated — 1982 — incidence ranging from 10.6 to 32.3 cases per 100000 people [1].

• 2. Five years’ survival still varies between 50% and 30% [2] and has shown no improvement during the past 20 years, notwithstanding progress achieved using surgical techniques, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or a combination of these procedures.

• 3. Less than half of the malignancies of the colon and rectum are diagnosed while still at such a localized stage that a 80%–90% cure rate might be anticipated [3, 4].