Relationship of symptom duration and survival in patients with carcinoma of the colon and rectum.

The generally held belief that early diagnosis and treatment are associated with a greater proportion of localized tumors and better prospects of salvage is not supported in carcinoma of the large intestine. This study is not to be interpreted to mean that purposefully delayed treatment in an individual patient will improve his chances of survival. Its purpose is to place the emphasis on early diagnosis in its proper perspective. Entirely different methods of diagnosis need to be developed so as to be able to diagnose carcinoma of the large intestine during its presymptomatic phase.