[Factors leading to a delay and errors in the diagnosis of cancer of the digestive system]

The investigation covers 96 patients from Sofia, with cancer of the digestive system, with unsatisfactory early diagnosis -- 3.6 per cent and operability -- 36 per cent. The diagnosis was made after about an average of 6.4 months of the clinical onset of the diseases. Time loss is mainly due to diagnostic errors and less to late asking for doctor's attendance. More than 1/2 of the patients were treated "blindfold" without the proper X-ray and endoscopic investigations and specialized consultations. The most frequent diagnostic errors are: in case of gastric cancer -- "chronic gastritis" and "ulcer disease", 38.9 per cent and 30.6 per cent resp. and in case of cancer of colon and rectum -- "chronic colitis" 37 per cent and "hemorrhoids" -- 22.2 per cent. The patient's delay in the first examination shows an indirect dependence on education and health culture but is conditioned by a complicated complex of solial and psychological moments.