Diagnosis, Staging, and Principles of Management

Abstract

A diagnosis of cancer depends on the patient’s consulting a physician. This in turn depends on the patient’s knowledge of health problems. At one extreme a patient may know that if he has pain or bleeding, he should see a physician; or at the other extreme he may know he has the best chance of being cured of cancer if he has periodic health examinations. Thus the prompt diagnosis of cancer is directly related to the educational level of the public. In order to ensure timely diagnosis of cancers, all physicians should contribute to public education about cancer in their communities.