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It's not uncommon for a cancer diagnosis to be delayed. Sometimes it's because of patient-related issues. In other cases, there may be physician-related delays. Many people question whether delayed treatment decreases their chances for a cure.
Some of the answers to your questions really depend on the type of cancer. Diseases such as ovarian and bladder cancer are biologically aggressive. Death can occur after only a brief period of symptoms.
Other cancers such as soft tissue or bone sarcome are highly curable. The result doesn't depend on length of symptoms. The outcomes are linked with the type of tumor (high-grade versus low-grade).
The presence of metastases (cancer spread) at the time of diagnosis is also linked with a poor prognosis. The length of symptoms before diagnosis does not predict survival or outcome.
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