Missed Opportunities for the Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer
Table 4
Alternate diagnoses recorded in medical chart for symptoms indicative of CRC ().
Alternate diagnosis+
Mean time to diagnosis in months
Median time to diagnosis in months
No diagnosis, missed opportunity/watchful waiting
26
13.6 (13.6)
9.2
GI-GU disease
73
9.0 (9.9)
6.3
Hemorrhoids
26
Diverticulitis
15
Urinary tract infection (UTI)
9
Colitis/Gastritis
7
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
6
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
5
Gastroenteritis
5
Kidney stones
4
OB/GYN disease (cyst, neoplasm, fibroids)
3
Pregnancy
2
Chronic kidney disease
2
Small bowel disease (cancer, obstruction)
2
Gallbladder
2
Crohn’s disease
1
Chronic dysphagia
1
Chronic constipation
1
Hernia
1
Dyspepsia
1
H. pylori
1
Appendicitis
1
Prostatitis
1
Anal fissure
1
Syphilis
1
HIV infection
1
Non-GI-GU diagnoses
21
10.5 (11.5)
9.3
Cardiovascular
7
Respiratory
6
Back/skeletal
5
Side effects of medications
4
Osteoarthritis
2
Fibromyalgia
1
Insomnia
1
Some patients had more than one alternate diagnosis; 11 had both GI-GU and non-GI-GU alternate diagnoses. Because of this no tests of significance were performed.
