Table 4.
Specification of healthcare delay in early versus late stage colorectal cancer (CRC) in 272 symptomatic patients diagnosed with CRC in a population-based study.
| Early vs Late stage CRC | healthcare delay (weeks)* | referral delay (weeks) † | hospital diagnostic delay (weeks) § | staging/treatment delay (weeks) ‡ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early stage CRC | Mean | 17.1 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 4.9 |
| (Dukes A&B, N = 136) | Median | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| SD | 15.7 | 13.9 | 7.5 | 3.2 | |
| SE | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | |
| Late stage CRC | Mean | 19 | 11 | 5.2 | 3.6 |
| (Dukes C&D, N = 136) | Median | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| SD | 21.4 | 20.8 | 8.2 | 2.6 | |
| SE | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | |
| Total | Mean | 18 | 8.8 | 5.7 | 4.2 |
| (N = 272) | Median | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| SD | 18.8 | 17.8 | 7.9 | 2.9 | |
| SE | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
* No significant difference was observed in the mean healthcare delay in early versus late stage CRC
(p = 0.46; tested on a logarithmic scale using the independent-samples t-test).
† Mean referral delay was significantly longer in late stage CRC compared to early stage CRC
(p = 0.04; tested on a logarithmic scale using the independent-samples t-test).
§ No significant difference was observed in the mean hospital diagnostic delay in early versus late stage CRC
(p = 0.09; tested on a logarithmic scale using the independent-samples t-test).
‡ Mean staging/treatment delay was significantly shorter in late stage CRC compared to early stage CRC
(p < 0.0001; tested on a logarithmic scale using the independent-samples t-test).