Background
Breast cancer contributes the largest burden of cancer related
disease in Australian women. Early detection is an important part of
the general practitioner’s work, with clinical audit recommended to
help improve the quality of such work.
Discussion
The diagnosis of breast cancer in this series was relatively
infrequent, and prior apparent false-negative investigations were
not uncommon. As many women diagnosed were outside the usual
mammography screening age range of 50–69 years, there is a need
for constant awareness of the possibility of breast cancer in all
female patients. Encouraging women to present early with breast
symptoms and adherence to the ‘triple test‘ recommendation of
clinical breast examination, imaging and biopsy for women with
breast symptoms is important to minimise the risk of diagnostic delay.
Results
Thirty new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed, with 87% in the
‘early’ stages. Fifty-seven percent were outside the target age of
50–69 years used by BreastScreen to recruit women for screening.
Apparent false-negative investigations occurred in 33% of cases. The
mean time interval between women noting symptoms and consulting
the GP was 84 days and the mean time interval from first presentation
to final diagnosis was 54 days.
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