How a New Hope in Cancer Fell Apart - NYTimes.com (note reference to ovarian cancer early detection tests)

full free access: eMJA: Pathways to the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer in Australia

Note: excerpts below,  the tables included in the paper provide interesting information including patients with borderline tumours, 24% of patients in this study had a prior hysterectomy  etc...

Objective:

To describe the diagnostic pathways experienced by a large, representative group of Australian women with ovarian cancer, and to document the time between first presentation to a medical professional and clinical diagnosis.

Main outcome measures:

Number and type of doctors consulted, investigations performed, referral patterns and the time from first presentation to diagnosis.

Conclusions:

Despite anecdotal suggestions to the contrary, most women with ovarian cancer in Australia are investigated and diagnosed promptly. The diagnostic process is more protracted for a minority of women, and the factors we found to be associated with diagnostic delay warrant further investigation.

"........The numbers of symptoms reported, doctors seen and total doctor visits were all highly skewed. These variables were therefore summarised....."

The interface of primary and oncology specialty care: from diagnosis through primary treatment.

Many Docs Deliver Cancer Diagnosis Badly: Study: MedlinePlus

Disclosing a Diagnosis of Cancer: Where and How Does It Occur? -- Figg et al., 10.1200/JCO.2009.24.6389 -- Journal of Clinical Oncology

Abstract:

"Forty-four percent of patients reported discussions of 10 minutes or fewer..."

Conclusion
Physicians should disclose a cancer diagnosis in a personal setting, discussing the diagnosis and treatment options for a substantial period of time whenever possible.