CONCLUSION
There appears to be a relationship between time to diagnosis following onset of rectal cancer
symptoms and increased stage of disease. Most patients who delayed seeking help attributed
their symptoms to a less critical cause. Physicians who were responsible for delay had failed
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Dis Colon Rectum. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2012 March 28.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript
to perform adequate workup in a timely fashion. Adherence to current screening
recommendations would limit time to diagnosis in the majority of patients.