A medical error with serious consequences
There is a difficult reality in the healthcare journey: diagnostic uncertainty. Patients consult various specialists, suffer from real symptoms, but are left without answers to their ailments. This situation is particularly common for people with so-called « invisible » cancers. According to experts from the non-profit organization Neuroendocrine Cancer UK (NCUK), this problem specifically concerns neuroendocrine cancer. This group of cancers, which develops in nerve and glandular cells, now requires an urgent acceleration of the diagnostic process, as reported by the British daily newspaper The Independent.
Rising statistics and worrying delays
Data reported by NCUK reveals a significant increase in the incidence of this disease in England. Between 1995 and 2018, the number of cases jumped by 371%, a much higher increase than that observed for other cancers, which was 116% over the same period (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers). Today, this disease affects more than 6,000 people each year across the Channel. Despite this increased frequency, detection remains difficult. The charity reports that the average time to obtain a diagnosis is four and a half years. The figures highlight the complexity of the task for the medical profession: nearly half of patients are not diagnosed during their first consultation. Even more strikingly, 16% of patients have to make more than ten visits to the doctor before the disease is identified. The direct consequence of these delays is that more than half of cases are detected at an already advanced stage.
Misleading symptoms and frequent confusion
Neuroendocrine cancer is divided into two main categories: neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC), the latter being characterized by rapid growth. These diseases can appear in various areas of the body, including the stomach, intestine, pancreas, or lungs.
The difficulty in diagnosis often lies in the nature of the symptoms, which can be confused with other common conditions. Patients report unexplained weight loss, fatigue, pain, and digestive problems such as diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, and heartburn. Skin rashes, persistent coughing, or asthma-like symptoms are also observed. According to specialists, these signs often lead to misdiagnosis, with the disease being mistaken for irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, or the effects of menopause.
A disease that does not fit the norm
Lisa Walker, CEO of NCUK, highlights a major difficulty: this disease does not fit the traditional image of cancer. She explains that this type of disease does not behave like the more familiar cancers. Unlike other forms of the disease, where the outcome often swings between recovery and rapid decline, neuroendocrine cancer often forces patients to live with the disease for many years.
This period of uncertainty generates a feeling of incomprehension, particularly when test results come back normal while symptoms remain debilitating. For the CEO, these errors and delays can cause serious and lasting damage. The time lost allows the cancer to spread in the absence of adequate treatment, highlighting the crucial importance of better recognition of these atypical symptoms.
According to the source: slate.fr
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