Delayed Diagnosis of Primary Lung Cancer.
10.4046/trd.1998.45.4.754
- Author:
Sun Young KIM
1
;
Hae Jeong CHO
;
Geun Hwa KIM
;
Dong Seok KO
;
Jae Chul SUH
;
Kyoung Sang SHIN
;
Seong Su JEONG
;
Ju Ock KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine Chungnam National University, College of Medicine, Taejon, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Delayed diagnosis;
Lung cancer
- MeSH:
Chest Pain;
Chungcheongnam-do;
Cough;
Delayed Diagnosis*;
Diagnosis;
Diagnostic Errors;
Dyspnea;
Heart;
Hemoptysis;
Humans;
Korea;
Lung Neoplasms*;
Lung*;
Prognosis;
Public Health;
Retrospective Studies;
Smoke;
Smoking;
Sputum;
Survival Rate;
Thorax
- From:Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
1998;45(4):754-759
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is an important public health problem because of rapidly increasing malignancy in both sexes in relation with high smoking rate in Korea. Despite advances in therapeutic modalities and supportive cares, 5-year survival rate has improved only marginally during the past 2 decades. Therefore, the early detection of lung cancer is strongly needed for batter prognosis and we conducted this study to review the clinical factors resulting in delayed diagnosis of lung cancer. METHOD: The clinical data such as presenting symptoms duration for diagnosis disease entities causing misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, were analyzed retrospectively in 154 patients with primary lung cancer diagnosed at Chungnam National university hospital from January to December in 1995. RESULTS: 63 patients(40.9%) out of 154 patients were delayed diagnosed with the duration of 6.3 months compared with 3.6 months in patients diagnosed without delay. In delayed diagnosed group, Cough & sputum and dyspnea as presenting symptom were more critical than hemoptysis and chest pain, and doctor's delay was more critical than patient's delay. Tuberculosis(30/63) was most frequent disease entity causing delayed diagnosis, followed by pneumonia(9/63), COPD(6/63), heart diseases(5/63), etc.. CONCLUISON: It should be emphasized that any respiratory symptom be checked with chest X-ray to differentiate lung cancer and periodic check of chest X-ray be also needed for the longterm patients with any disease, especially with high risk group.
