[Late diagnosis of advanced breast cancer--a challenge for health services]

From 1982 to 1987, 1,637 cancers of the breast were diagnosed in Oslo. 235 were classified as advanced according to one or more of the following criteria: tumour size greater than or equal to 5 cm (T3) or T4, metastasis within 4 months, pathological diagnosis pT3, pT4 or pN2. These were further studied. The distribution of women with advanced cancer mammae was uneven. For no obvious reason, incidence was significantly higher in one out of four hospitals in Oslo. 169 of the patients discovered the tumour themselves. Many patients delayed seeking help. 93 waited for more than eight weeks before doing so. For patients with metastasis at time of diagnosis, survival was slightly more than one year, and for patients without metastasis it was four and a half year. The length of stay in hospital increased with increasing admissions.