Dataset Information

Cross-sectional study using primary care and cancer registration data to investigate patients with cancer presenting with non-specific symptoms.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Patients presenting to primary care with site-specific alarm symptoms can be referred onto urgent suspected cancer pathways, whereas those with non-specific symptoms currently have no dedicated referral routes leading to delays in cancer diagnosis and poorer outcomes. Pilot Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Centres (MDCs) provide a referral route for such patients in England.

Objectives

This work aimed to use linked primary care and cancer registration data to describe diagnostic pathways for patients similar to those being referred into MDCs and compare them to patients presenting with more specific symptoms.

Methods

This cross-sectional study linked primary care data from the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit (NCDA) to national cancer registration and Route to Diagnosis records. Patient symptoms recorded in the NCDA were used to allocate patients to one of two groups - those presenting with symptoms mirroring referral criteria of MDCs (non-specific but concerning symptoms (NSCS)) and those with at least one site-specific alarm symptom (non-NSCS). Descriptive analyses compared the two groups and regression analysis by group investigated associations with long primary care intervals (PCIs).

Results

Patients with NSCS were more likely to be diagnosed at later stage (32% stage 4, compared with 21% in non-NSCS) and via an emergency presentation (34% vs 16%). These patients also had more multiple pre-referral general practitioner consultations (59% vs 43%) and primary care-led diagnostics (blood tests: 57% vs 35%). Patients with NSCS had higher odds of having longer PCIs (adjusted OR: 1.24 (1.11 to 1.36)). Patients with lung and urological cancers also had higher odds of longer PCIs overall and in both groups.

Conclusions

Differences in the diagnostic pathway show that patients with symptoms mirroring the MDC referral criteria could benefit from a new referral pathway.

SUBMITTER: Pearson C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6955554 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Cross-sectional study using primary care and cancer registration data to investigate patients with cancer presenting with non-specific symptoms.

Pearson Clare C Poirier Veronique V Fitzgerald Karen K Rubin Greg G Hamilton Willie W

BMJ open 20200110 1

<h4>Introduction</h4>Patients presenting to primary care with site-specific alarm symptoms can be referred onto urgent suspected cancer pathways, whereas those with non-specific symptoms currently have no dedicated referral routes leading to delays in cancer diagnosis and poorer outcomes. Pilot Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Centres (MDCs) provide a referral route for such patients in England.<h4>Objectives</h4>This work aimed to use linked primary care and cancer registration data to describe dia ...[more]

PMID: 31924638

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Dataset Information

Cross-sectional study using primary care and cancer registration data to investigate patients with cancer presenting with non-specific symptoms.

Introduction

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Cross-sectional study using primary care and cancer registration data to investigate patients with cancer presenting with non-specific symptoms.

Similar Datasets

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