Delay in the Diagnosis of Maxillofacial Malignant Tumors

Introduction: Early diagnosis is the key to a good prognosis in treatment of maxillofacial malignant tumors and diagnostic delay can lead to metastasis and to adverse health outcomes. Delay can be classified to the: delay associated with patient and as delay associated with the healthcare professional. Aim: The aim of this study was to show importance of early detection of maxillofacial malignant tumors and establishing doctrine in diagnostic procedure. Patients and methods: In this 10 years retrospective study were evaluated 146 patients with diagnosed maxillofacial malignant tumors. Results: We find out that most of the patients after became aware of symptoms visited phyisician within 2 months (42%), within 6 months 25 % of patients visited physician, 20% in a period between months and one year, and still there is about 13 % of patient who shows up after more than a year. In this study 70 patients examined by specialist two weeks after their first visit to the doctor, 58 patient were under some treatment (diagnostic or therapeutic) in primary care first month and 18 patients stayed under some kind of treatment without specialist examination more than a month. Testing delay was 9 days median between completion of tests and presentation to the board. In this study average treatmant delay lasts 3 days. Conclusion: Against delay of treatment is very important education of population, mobilizing healthcare professionals, the most important point in wich we can reduce delay and not waste precious time is not to use inappropriate diagnostic and terapeutic tehnique, but to refer the patients in referral center where will be implemented appropriate diagnostic procedure. .