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A third of patients report misdiagnosis of rare cancer

One third of patients with a rare form of cancer say that they were initially misdiagnosed. It can therefore take years before a rare form is discovered. This has emerged from research by the Dutch Federation of Cancer Patient Organizations among more than two thousand people with rare cancers.

ANP

Marga Schrieks, advocate for Rare Cancers at NFK, says that such a rare form is often diagnosed too late. ‘People are not diagnosed at the earliest possible stage. Patients then end up at a later stage of their cancer, which may allow the disease to spread. ‘

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Schrieks thinks he knows where the wrong diagnoses come from. ‘If someone comes to hospital and it is not yet recognized or no comprehensive diagnosis is possible because they do not end up in a specialized center, this is possible. We understand that it is difficult for GPs, so we are not going to blame them. We just say: if you keep walking with complaints for a long time, you should be referred. ‘

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