TEMPO ENTRE AS ETAPAS DIAGNÓSTICAS E TERAPÊUTICAS DO CÂNCER DE MAMA NO SUS

Descriptive research, with quantitative approach, which aims to describe the time-interval from diagnosis to therapeutic treatment in breast cancer in women treated by the oncologic institution of the public health system of Santa Catarina/Brazil and to characterize the socio demographic profile of these women. The data were collected in all of the medical records of women met exclusively by the public health system (24), in 2009. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, 41,5% of women were in the age group 40-49 years, had elementary school, were housewives, presented stage III of the disease. The time interval of the mammography at the beginning of the treatment of the disease fluctuated between 31 and 233 days, between the surgery and the adjuvance 21 and 136 days. Intervals found do not meet scientific recommendation. The biggest time interval was found in the steps to perform the biopsy, to initiate the treatment and adjuvant chemotherapy. The results point to the need for the adoption of strategies for the scientifically recommended time intervals. Those strategies should include fast process in the realization of mammograms, biopsies and surgery to remove the breast carcinoma.