Though delays in the diagnosis of cancer in children are short and attributable to clinical presentation and healthcare system complexity, the impact of such delays on prognosis remains unclear, according to a new study. Published in the August 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, a review of the published literature found that delays could be generally attributed to gatekeeper-type healthcare systems, clinical presentation and stage of disease, as well as parent/patient factors. The study concludes that further research should focus on understanding the impact of delays in diagnosis on morbidity and mortality in children with cancer.
