Article
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma – causes for delay of the diagnosis
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Authors
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Desislava Skerleva
- Ministry of Interior Medical Institute, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Stefan Stoyanov
- Ministry of Interior Medical Institute, Sofia, Bulgaria
| Published: | April 15, 2013 |
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Outline
Text
Introduction: In Bulgaria Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare disease, occurring in about 0.5/100 000 people. Unfortunately quite often it is diagnosed in rather advanced stage.
Aim: To analyze the available data and determine the factors which lead to delay of diagnosis in Bulgaria.
Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective study on cancer incidence in Bulgaria, based on Bulgarian National Cancer Registry.
Results: In 2009 were found 88 new NPC cases, of which 70% are men and 30% women. The incidence is highest in the age interval 50–59 years for men and 45–54 years for women. For the period 1981–2009 the incidence rate is 0.9/100000 for men and 0.4/100000 for women. Our analysis showed that 83% of the cases were in T3 and T4 stage. The delay of the diagnosis was caused by not seeking medical help in 42% of the cases, the general practitioner in 11%, the otolaryngologist in 23% and other specialist (dentist, neurologist, etc) in 24%.
Conclusion: NPC detection in its early stage is often difficult because of its nonspecific symptoms. Improvement in the awareness of physicians and the general population regarding this carcinoma will contribute to the earlier diagnosis of the disease.
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