A survey has suggested that one in four patients with secondary breast cancer had to visit their general practitioner (GP) three or more times before getting a diagnosis.
Breast Cancer Now conducted a survey of 2,100 people in the UK with secondary breast cancer and found that some people whose cancer had spread were not getting early access to treatments which could alleviate symptoms and improve their quality of life.
The breast cancer charity said that there should be more awareness that the disease can spread to other parts of the body and that while GPs said they were doing their best for patients, symptoms could be difficult to find.
The charity said: "For too long now, the worrying perception that everyone survives breast cancer has masked the heartbreaking reality for 11,500 families in the UK that lose someone they love each year."
The advanced or metastatic form of the disease indicates that the cancer has spread through the blood and created secondary tumors in the bones, liver, lung or brain. This secondary form of breast cancer cannot be cured, forcing patients to stay in treatment for the rest of their lives.
Survey results showed that four in 10 patients claimed that they felt their symptoms had not been taken seriously before they were diagnosed.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK with approximately 55,000 cases annually and although survival rates have dramatically improved over the last 40 years, about 11,500 still die from the disease every year, mostly from secondary breast cancer.
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of GPs, pointed out: "GPs and our teams are working flat out to do the very best we can for all our patients. We understand the importance of timely cancer diagnosis and are highly trained to identify possible symptoms of cancer and its recurrence."
