Due to the claims made by popular media, many Tennessee women may not believe that early detection of breast cancer is important. However, a recently published study indicates that women are more likely to survive longer if their breast cancer is diagnosed earlier than later. The study utilized data that was taken from 1999 to 2005 from around 174,000 Dutch women.
The popular view regarding breast cancer detection is that early detection does not improve the chances of survival for those who are diagnosed. In a retrospective study published by The New England Journal of Medicine in 2012, two physicians stated that the improved survival rates are contributed to improved treatments and not mammography. Other popular media have also published articles indicating that early detection benefits are inflated.
The results of the current study, which was published in October 2015, indicated that the overall survival was longer for women who were diagnosed with breast cancer before the cancer spread to the lymph nodes was longer than if the diagnosis was made after the cancer spread to the lymph nodes. Further, women who had smaller invasive tumors were more likely to live longer than women who had large invasive tumors.
When it comes to cancer, a delayed diagnosis can have detrimental effects on a patient. If the cancer is diagnosed too late, the patient may not even survive. A woman who has been harmed in such a manner and whose condition has worsened as a result may want to meet with a medical malpractice attorney and discuss her options for seeking damages from the responsible health care practitioner or facility.