OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the time delay from the diagnosis of primer breast cancer to the appaerance of secondary tumors affecting other organs in Hungary. METHODS Data were collected from the nationwide financing database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (OEP). The subject of the observation aimed female patients treated in hospitals with primary breast tumor (BNO: C5000-C5090, D0570, D0590) between the period of January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2002. We examined the time delay between the diagnosis of primary breats cancer in 2002 and its secondary malignancies in the following 5 years. RESULTS In 2002, a total of 7548 patients were treated in hospitals with malignant primary breast tumor. Between 2003 and 2007 2870 primary breast tumor patients attended in hospitals with tumor disorders affected any other organs. In the following five years after the occurrence of primary breast tumors, secondary malignant tumors affecting other organs were occurred in 21.32% of the patients. The five most often appeared malignant diseases in the examined period were: malignant tumors in the bones and bone marrow were diagnosed 29.0 months, malignant tumor in the lung 34.4 months, malignant tumor in the lymph gland 20.3 months, malignant tumor of the liver 29.7 months and malignant tumor in the brain and dural tumor 32.3 months after the occurrence of primary breast tumors. CONCLUSIONS In the following five years other malignant tumors were occurred in one fifth of the primary breast tumor patients. For the diagnoses of the five most often secondary tumors 29.1 months, or 2.4 years were needed. In consideration to all occurred secondary tumors in case of the whole population this value is on the average 35.2 months or 2.9 years.