Mrs Mandziak said she was taking legal action over the delayed diagnosis.

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Another reason for the decline in breast cancer deaths, however, is delayed diagnosis due to the fact that many women are not getting their yearly X-ray or mammogram.

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While most doctors agree that treatment of this type of infection with oral antibiotics in its early stages is often successful, there is far less agreement regarding the treatment of chronic Lyme disease, which keeps recurring because of a delayed diagnosis.

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Inflammation and fibrosis - scarring - of the liver tissue, which affects about 10% of the UK population, can cause cirrhosis or liver failure and lead to cancer if diagnosis is delayed or if left untreated.

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