IN 1955, Aitken-Swan and Paterson's study on delay among cancer patients was pub lished, in which the now classic distinction was made between patients who "knew" their symptoms indicated cancer and those who were genuinely ignorant of the possible significance of their symptoms. Patients in the first category (mainly those with breast cancer) delayed visiting a doctor to a significantly greater degree than those in the second group, and tended to seek medical attention only when the severity of their symptoms left them with no alternative.
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